You’re surrounded by scrap metal, rotting cars, and mounds of orange dirt with doors tucked into the side and cars parked out the front.

You’d think it was deserted if not for the odd car throwing up dust as it puts into town. It’s one of the quirkiest and most unique places you can visit in Australia.

This small town has only a few thousand residents and yet it’s known for being the Opal capital of the world. It’s also known for its underground dugouts where people live to escape the scorching heat.

If you’re thinking of visiting Coober Pedy but you’re not sure what to do there, keep reading for some of our favorite attractions in the town.

Is Coober Pedy Worth Visiting?

Coober Pedy looks like a scene out of an apocalypse movie. You stand waiting for the zombies and aliens to come walking down behind it.

I don’t want to say this in an insulting way, but I think Coober Pedy is cool.

The air is not cool. In fact, it’s stinking bloody hot. So hot that people are forced to live underground! See that’s what makes it so cool. Ha! Have I lost you yet?

Coober Pedy is a fun place. There’s not a great deal to do there, but just being in this unique landscape and seeing how people live here is so darn fascinating.

There is no other town in Australia like it. It’s remote, desolate, and has unique accommodation options – and for that reason, it’s definitely worth visiting. Especially if you want to get off the beaten track in Australia.

Where is Coober Pedy?

Coober Pedy is located roughly halfway between Adelaide and Darwin in South Australia (with not much life in between!) It’s 846 kilometres north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway.

On the drive up from Streaky Bay we drove past a gorgeous landscape of salt lakes and vibrant desert colours.

You know you’re almost at Coober Pedy when you start seeing mounds of dirt piled up as far as the eye can see – it’s the waste excavated by the opal mines.

It’s not just the homes that are underground, the shops, hotels, swimming pools, churches, and even a campground are all under the earth as well.

What Makes Coober Pedy Special?

You might be thinking; why on earth would anyone live here if it is so hot you have to live underground?

Opals.

Coober Pedy is the biggest supplier of Opals in the world. Opal was first found in Coober Pedy on 1 February 1915 when a teenager, William Hutchison, stumbled on the “Surface Opal Nobbies” while gold prospecting with his father.

People have flocked to the region since.

Coober Pedy, like everywhere in Australia, lies on aboriginal lands. The traditional owners are the Arabana, Kokatha, and Yankuntjatjarra people. Its traditional name is “Kupa Piti”, which is Kokatha for “white man’s hole.”

But, tourism is now just as important as the mining industry. We loved it for its complete quirkiness and desert beauty.

Things to Do in Coober Pedy

Now you know a little bit more about why you should visit Coober Pedy and how to get there, it’s time to show you my top things to do in the town.

Below are some attractions you should not miss…

1. Visit The Old Timers Mine & Museum

The Old Timers Mine is the recommended place to learn more about the Coober Pedy opal history.

At first I didn’t think it was going to be much of an experience but don’t let looks deceive you, because not much looks inviting from the outside.

We loved exploring the museum and the mine shafts.

This mine is from 1916. The original miners had filled in the shafts and hidden it, presumably to come back later to get the rest of the opal but didn’t return.

When it was time to extend his underground home in 1968, Ron Gough accidentally discovered the hidden shafts AND opal waiting in the wall.

Instead of taking the opal and selling it (and making a LOT of money) they left it in the wall and opened up the museum to the public. It’s a self-guided tour that’s fun and informative.

We learned a lot about opal mining and the stories of the people who spent painstaking hours under harsh conditions to strike it lucky!

The Coober Pedy opal museum shows how miners, usually working alone, would dig the shafts and blast holes and winch the dug soil up to the surface, all by hand, with only candles and carbine lamps for illumination.

The tour also takes you through some of the original underground homes. The Old Timers Mine is the perfect thing to do in Coober Pedy with kids if you’re looking for something educational AND fun.

Out the front is a little noodling pit. What is noodling I hear you ask? It’s searching for opals amongst the rubble.

2. Check Out The Serbian Orthodox Church

This is the largest underground church in Coober Pedy, about 3km south of town.

You enter via a sloping walkway to the underground. Religious icons and statues have been carved out of the wall.

Head up stairs to the balcony for views and a look at the stained glass window of the Sturt Desert Pea, the floral emblem of South Australia.

We found it a little underwhelming based upon rave reviews we’d heard of it. Cost is $5 donation per person. I don’t think it’s worth this as there’s not a lot to see, nor information on it.

But, it might be your thing so the choice is yours!

3. Admire The Views From The Big Winch Lookout

You can’t miss the Big Winch. Walk up if you can embrace the heat. Otherwise drive up and check out the sweeping views over the apocalyptic landscape.

This is the place to watch the sunset. We had an overcast day so it didn’t put on a show for us.

I’m still not sure of what the point to the Big Winch is – just another Coober Pedy quirky thing!

4. Admire the Views From The Breakaway

The Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park lies 32km north of Coober Pedy.

It consists of colourful low hills which have broken away from the Stuart Range, hence their name “The Breakaway”.

There are two lookout points and the arid, barren landscape makes it hard to believe this was once part of the great inland sea 70 million years ago.

With its flat-topped mesas and striking sandstone colours, it sure is pretty! Sunset is when it’s meant to come alive the most.

You should note that to get to the Breakaways you must drive along a dirt road so be careful and drive slow.

5. Learn About Opals at Umoona Opal Mine

Umoona Opal Mine opened in the 1920s but now operates as a museum and Opal Shop.

If you’re looking for quick things to do in Coober Pedy, then you can take a short tour of their underground mine.

You will learn about the different types of opals and their quality, how Coober Pedy came to be the capital of opal mining, why people live in dugout homes, and see examples of mining machinery.

Tours take place daily at 10.00am, 2pm and 4pm. If you do the tour, you get a discount at the souvenir shop.

6. Check Out Josephine’s Gallery & Kangaroo Orphanage

Where in the world can you find a kangaroo orphanage combined with an aboriginal art gallery? That’s Coober Pedy!

This is one of the only art galleries in the town where you can see aboriginal arts. It was established in 2008, and not only takes in orphaned kangaroos, but all Australian wildlife such as wombats, birds and reptiles.

You can learn about Aboriginal Cultural on a heritage talk, where you’ll learn about the meaning behind the art, aboriginal weapons, bush medicine, and tales of the Kaiditchi man.

7. Look Out From The Dingo Fence

The Dingo Fence in Coober Pedy is a fascinating sight to behold, not only for its sheer size and length but also for the stories it holds.

This dog fence is the longest fence in the world at 5,300km, and is not only a testament to human ingenuity but also serves as a barrier to protect livestock such as cattle and sheep from predators.

Its bleak and stark surroundings make for an otherworldly experience, and it’s a must-visit destination for anyone looking to rediscover the rugged beauty of the Australian outback.

8. Check Out The Spaceship From Pitch Black

The spaceship in Coober Pedy is a unique tourist attraction. It was used as a prop in the 2000 sci-fi movie Pitch Black, and was left here after filming finished.

It sits in the yard of the Opal Cave Shop and is a great backdrop for photos.

9. Watch A Movie At Coober Pedy’s Drive-In Cinema

If you’re looking for fun things to do on a Saturday night in Coober Pedy, then consider catching a drive-in movie like they did back in the 1965 when the movie theatre was built.

Time seems to have stopped in Coober Pedy and this outdoor cinema is still the way to catch the latest movies in the town.

Check the ‘what’s on’ calendar to see what’s showing during your visit.

10. Admire the Moon Plain

The moon plains are about 15km north-east of Coober Pedy and look like the barren terrain you’d find, well, on the moon.

In fact, you may even recognise the mysterious lunar landscape that surrounds this town, which rises out from the desert floor.

Mad Max one, two and three, Beyond Thunderdome, Down & Under and many other movies have been filmed here.

Coober Pedy Restaurants

It’s not often you’d find a South Autralian outback town with huge ethnic diversity, but Coober Pedy has a population of 3,500 and over 45 different nationalities.

There’s a great community vibe here. What insight does that give you into what’s on offer in Coober Pedy?

That’s right – incredible food.

We really didn’t experience much as our stay was short, but for a small town you will find only a handful of options. Outback Bar And Grill comes highly recommended and is a great place to find BBQ food.

Waffles & Gems is a great place to get some waffles for breakfast. Big Winch 360, which is a tourist attraction known for, you guessed it, its big winch, but it also has a decent cafe (and a 360 cinema, strangely). It’s a great place to go for an even meal at sunset because it also has amazing views of the surroundings.

For evening drinks, head to the underground bar at the Desert Cave Hotel.

The pizza at John’s Pizza Bar was exceptionally good and exceptionally large! You can dine in or takeaway.

Whichever you choose, spend some time looking at the celebrity wall to see who has passed through the town and enjoyed John’s pizza.

Coober Pedy Accommodation

There was no way we were spending the night in the camper trailer. It wasn’t the blazing heat that made that decision for us, but the fact that we were in Coober Pedy and the point of coming here is to go underground.

Coober Pedy is an Aboriginal word for White Mans Burrows. Half the town lives in Dugouts, inexpensive underground homes that have all modern amenities and consistently maintain a temperature of 25 degrees year-round.

We wanted the best place to experience this and after going back and forth between reviews, we settled on The Underground Motel.

It was cool, literally. The girls thought it was amazing to be sleeping underground, especially their little nook of coloured sandstone walls their bed fit in. It became their Princess Bed and the stage of a brilliant princess fairy rescue play.

We grabbed a takeaway pizza from John’s Pizza Bar and ate it in our room.

Final Thoughts on Visiting Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy is a hidden gem in the heart of the South Australian outback, offering a unique blend of rugged beauty, cultural diversity, and quirky adventures.

From exploring opal fields and mines to sleeping in an underground hotel, or admiring the grandeur of the Dingo Fence, this town will leave you in awe of its charm and allure, making it a must-visit destination for any avid adventurer or history buff.

For a different side of Australia, Coober Pedy needs to be visited.

Video of Coober Pedy

Watch this video for Kalyra’s perspective on Coober Pedy:

Other places to visit in South Australia

• A visit to Flinders Ranges National Park (ancient Ikara)
• Things to do in Eyre Peninsula, South Australia (road trip itinerary)
• Highlights of 4 Day Kangaroo Island Road Trip
• 11 Amazing Food & Wine Experiences at Barossa Valley Wineries & Adelaide Hills

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Along the 155km length of Australia’s third largest island, you’ll also discover soaring cliffs and rugged coastlines, dense national parks, towering sand dunes, and untouched beaches.

Most of the island is preserved and protected giving you a natural and pure experience for years to come.

We were ecstatic to finally be visiting this diverse and stunning location just off the South Australia mainland.

We visited Kangaroo Island on a road trip for four nights and I would have liked at least one extra night as we didn’t have enough time to experience the west coast in more depth.

Here are the epic things to do on Kangaroo Island that we discovered in 4 days.

Places to See on the Dudley Peninsula

If you arrive in Penneshaw on the morning Sea Link ferry, escorted by the local dolphins, we recommend driving straight down to enjoy the Dudley Peninsula.

Cape Willoughby Lighthouse

Who doesn’t love a white lighthouse perched on the edge of a cliff?

The lighthouse, built in 1852 is on the easternmost point of the island and is open for daily tours. You can also stay at the lighthouse keeper’s cottages.

Zest and Thyme Cafe

You have a tough decision here – either have lunch at Dudley Wines with amazing food and views (see next) or have lunch at Zest and Thyme with amazing views and food.

Since we arrived straight from the early morning ferry, we had a mid-morning snack of soup and scones and cream at Zest and Thyme.

The views are exceptional. It’s right next door to the lighthouse so you can easily fit in both.

Dudley Wines

Moroccan lamb pizza and a glass of award winning Shiraz with the most beautiful vineyard views I’ve ever seen will possibly be the visual I now associate with the name Kangaroo Island.

What a first-day introduction! We may have lingered here a little longer than anticipated, but that’s what travel is for right? Stopping where the heart feels called to do so.

We walked out with a bottle of chardonnay and Shiraz, both outstanding wines.

I nearly lost both of them to the back of the plane when we aborted landing coming back to Sydney. I was more worried about stopping them rolling than what was happening with the plane.

Kangaroo Island is a growing notable wine region with over 15 wine growers and around 15 hectares of vines. Dudley Wines produce a 100% Kangaroo Island product – all their wine is grown and handcrafted on the island.

Antechamber Bay

Antechamber Bay was our first beach experience on Kangaroo Island. A bit of a stunner, isn’t she?

Not much else to say about that.

Pennington Bay

Where the beaches on the north side of Kangaroo Island can be quite calm and flat, the surf here at Pennington Bay pounds. You can see why surfers love it.

If surfing is not your thing, there’s a wide expansive white sandy beach to play on and rocks to scramble around. We stopped here for an afternoon play and had the beach all to ourselves.

Things to do in Kingscote

Kingscote is the capital of Kangaroo Island and the largest town on Kangaroo Island. Rest assured it’s not too big or busy.

Pelican feeding

We grew up in a town with plenty of pelicans and have seen countless pelican feedings. I used to work in a restaurant where we threw them the fish scraps every afternoon at 3 pm.

Pelicans are the funniest animals and fascinating to watch. So, of course, we went to the pelican feeding that’s at Kingscote every afternoon at 5 pm.

The pelican feeder has an entertaining and informative talk and has been doing it for years. He’ll ask you for a donation of $5 per adult and $3 per child after it.

These pelicans were hilarious.

The girls and I could not stop laughing at the one greedy fella who held a huge stash of fish in his beak. The mob attacked him, and he ran over the side of the jetty and stuck his head down over in between the rocks so they couldn’t get to his stash. At first, I thought they had killed him, but he was just lying deathly still so they’d leave him be.

Swim with the dolphins – Kangaroo Island Marine Adventures

Jump out of the car and into the boat on your Kangaroo Island road trip to swim with wild dolphins. (Book your tour here)

This tour with Andrew and Kangaroo Island Marine Adventures is worth doing on your visit to Kangaroo Island. We didn’t even get to swim with the dolphins and we still think it’s worthwhile.

Unfortunately, for us, we had an extremely rare day when the dolphins didn’t show up.

Andrew can count on one hand how many times this has happened, and the tours run almost daily. It’s the wild, so you’re working around their groove.

We did see dolphins – a little out into the open waters of the bay when we first started the tour. A mother was teaching her baby to fish. They swam right behind the boat and later surfed and jumped out of the waves.

We contemplated jumping in to swim with those but since we had just started the tour, it was really cold, and we were out in the less protected waters, we decided we’d wait to get to the shallower calmer waters near the shore at the dolphin’s home!!

Bugger.

But, the dolphin’s home is spectacular! I can only imagine how incredible the experience would be swimming with them here. It was cold when we visited, but in summer the water temperature can be quite warm, and the dolphins love to play.

We loved zipping around the bay, learning about the marine life from Andrew and the stunning scenery. We saw plenty of sea lions as well.

Things to do in Flinders Chase National Park

Flinders Chase National Park deserves a lot of your time. It’s on the other side of Kangaroo Island, so it will be quite a drive – with plenty to see in between.

If you attempt to do the South and West Coast in a day like we did, you’ll only scratch the surface.

Preferably, spend an evening in the West or South side so you can have two days to explore comfortably. There are many hikes to do in this region, and we were disappointed not to experience them.

The hikes I had anticipated doing were the 4.5 km return Platypus waterhole walk and the 3km return Snake Lagoon Hike.

Based on my research, these seemed like the most scenic and easiest to do with kids given our short time frame to explore.

Read More: Eungella National Park Queensland – perfect for wild platypus sightings

Remarkable Rocks

I was worried these were going to be just a bunch of rocks, and to be honest, they are. But, the granite boulders are interesting rocks and very beautiful.

The girls had fun exploring the different naturally carved sculptures, climbing in and out of holes, hiding in the caves and sleeping on the rock hammocks.

Be diligent with your children. Around the front of the rocks are very dangerous conditions – high winds and slippery surfaced into the depths of the pounding ocean below.

Admiral’s Arch 

Bring your coat for this visit to Admiral’s Arch on your Kangaroo Island road trip. It was blowing an icy gale when we arrived. No wonder the sea lions love it. You’ll see many of them sleeping on the rocks especially in the sheltered part of the Arches.

The Arches is a natural archway sculptured by wind and rain and is in one of the most photographed places on Kangaroo Island.

Don’t forget to look back up the coast. Perched on the edge of the cliff in the distance are the Remarkable Rocks.

It’s a fascinating perspective and helps you to see just why they are quite remarkable. It looks like a sculpture you’d see on the cliffs of Bondi in October.

Weirs Cove

Not far from Admiral’s Arch is a turn off for Weirs Cove. Take it. There are walks you can do around here, or simply just enjoy the view.

Kangaroo Island North Coast Beaches to Visit

The North Coast of Kangaroo Island is not as popular as the rest of the island. Which is perfect for your road trip, as this is where you’ll find some of the best Kangaroo Island beaches with little people on them!

Stokes Bay

If you have an entire day to spend on the beach, and the weather is good, Stokes Bay would be the perfect place for families to hang out.

Your kids will love the exciting walk to the beach, through a narrow walkway and cave from the car park which opens out to an expansive hidden secret beach.

There are plenty of rocks for them to climb over and caves to explore. There is a lovely sheltered, shallow swimming area and some little waves as well for those who want to a wild play.

Pack a picnic. There is a small cafe before you get to the secret beach. It was closed when we visited, but many locals raved as it being the place for lunch, a coffee and a chill to live music. Bummer we missed it.

Western River Cove

Western River Cove was one of the most beautiful beaches on Kangaroo Island for us. It’s a little off the normal tourist trail, but well worth fitting it into your Kangaroo Island road trip itinerary.

The drive to the beach through rolling green farmlands is spectacular and so different to the rest of Kangaroo Island.

Driving back out of Western Cove the scenery turned to red clay and quite Outback looking showcasing the diversity of the island and why you want to spend some time driving around it.

Emu Bay

We almost didn’t go to Emu Bay. It was the last beach on our list to see and we almost said, “Oh, it couldn’t be better than what we’ve seen.” I’m so glad we brushed that thought aside.

Turquoise water and a huge beach of hard white sand perfect for beach driving! Way to change up the level of your road trip on Kangaroo Island.

It’s one of only two beaches on the island you can drive on – the other is Snellings Beach. It’s as hard as a road so no need to let pressure out of your tyres. We had a little cruise up and down.

Things to see on the South Coast of Kangaroo Island

One of the most popular regions on Kangaroo Island for its seals and beautiful beaches.

Vivonne Bay

Vivonne Bay is often said to be one of the best beaches in Australia. It is spectacular, although I was expecting a little more Wow. Note, I don’t think we visited on the best weather or time of day, which we all know changes things.

Note, I don’t think we visited on the best weather or time of day, which we all know changes things.

One of the best vantage points is from the westernmost point near the jetty looking back on the beach. If you have time, there is also a small sheltered beach that may be good for swimming. Do check with the locals though for the best spots.

Seal Bay

Australian sea lions are the cutest. We discovered this getting nose to nose with them in Port Lincoln when we saw in the wild with them. You can also get quite up close to them when you visit Seal Bay.

Australian sea lions’ numbers are very small compared to sea lions. It’s not known why at the moment, but scientists are researching to find out.

Seal Bay has the third largest colony of Australian sea lions in the world. (more facts about Australia here)

You can enjoy watching the sea lions in their natural habitat on the beach from the boardwalk, which is ideal for those short on time or budget.

Or, you can pay extra to join a guided tour and walk down on the beach with them. Note, the tour guides do ensure that you do not get too close nor disturb the peace of the sea lions.

As I am now back to being Mrs Makepeace and responsible for the girl’s learning, we decided to pay the extra for the tour. We checked off many outcomes learning about life cycles, conservation, habitats and how the sea lions hunt, eat, swim, play and interact with the environment.

It was so cute to watch the babies interact with their Mammas. The poor mums were wiped out after four days at sea with no sleep, but bubs didn’t care. They wanted to play and continued to jump all over them.

Sound familiar mums?

A couple of them were out playing in the surf. It was fun to watch the sea lions surfing, just like young teenagers having a ball!

Little Sahara sand boarding

Who doesn’t like white rolling sand dunes in the middle of nowhere to play on?

We were tossing up whether to take on the challenge of sand boarding down the dunes at Little Sahara, but the thrill of the promised adventure flipped our head from a shake to a nod.

We’re so glad we did it was one of our favourite activities on the island and a great opportunity for a workout. I never realised walking up small sand dunes at least twenty times would wipe you out so much.

It was the first time any of us had tried sand boarding. Kalyra, the natural surfer, blitzed it after a couple of warmups. It took Craig a few more tries and me a lot more. I think I managed about a four-second stand up.

It sure was a heap of fun trying. Be sure to add it to your list of things to do on Kangaroo Island.

It was wonderful to watch our cautious Savannah move from the sidelines to tandem with me on the toboggan to riding with her wilder sister and then braving it all on her own. She owned the dunes. I loved her beaming face!

The only way we got the girls to leave was when they both face planted at the same time – Savannah on the toboggan and Kalyra on the sand board.

Before that, they weren’t budging from just one more turn. Nothing like a face full of sand to end an epic adventure.

Our only sadness is that all our cool footage was lost somewhere in the digital world. There’s a giant space in our Kangaroo Island videos

Things to do in the American River Region

We stayed for two nights in the American River region of Kangaroo Island. It’s halfway between Penneshaw and Kingscote so a nice in-betweener.

It’s very quiet and a lovely place to stay if you’re after serenity. It’s not a river, but was named that way for the American sealers and camped alongside the narrow inlet of water they mistook for a river.

It’s easy to see why they thought it was a river.

There’s not a lot to do here – a couple of waterfront walks and lovely calm water for boating. Kangaroo Island Shellfish, the largest commercial oyster farm on Kangaroo Island is located here and a popular place to grab your local seafood

Redbank Cliffs

The best-hidden secret of Kangaroo Island is just up the road from American River. Pay careful attention and it it to your Kangraoo Isand road trip itinerary.

Along the coast is a stretch of coloured cliffs. Sunset is meant to be the best time to visit Redbank Cliffs, and we just missed it due to our scheduling. But, the red, orange and yellow cliffs sure were pretty in the golden hour light.

A pod of dolphins swam by us close to shore while we were here. Oh, and the drive in through the tress from American River is spectacular!

A few other tips for your Kangaroo Island road trip:

• We did not visit any other wineries while on Kangaroo Island, I did try a couple of wines in restaurants from Bay of Shoals and Sunset Winery. Both wines were very good, in particular, the Shoal Bay Shiraz was a standout. (Sunset Winery has re-branded with new owners and is now called Sunset Food and Wine. The restaurant is meant to be lovely. )
• Our friend, Spencer Spellman, recommended Kangaroo Island Sprits, South Australia’s only boutique distillery. He says their gin is exceptional and he still has some left in his bottle all the way over in Reno.

Things to do on Kangaroo Island Videos

Have a look at the fun we had on our Kangaroo Island holiday with kids. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Places to stay on Kangaroo Island

Accommodation on Kangaroo Island can book up very quickly so book as far in advance as you can.

There are several camping spots if you are caravanning and camping.

There are also plenty of Airbnb options, which works out great as the food is expensive on the island so renting a house means you can cook your food.

We stayed at the Aurora Ozone Hotel in Kingscote. It’s a motel with a good position on the waterfront.

We also stayed at the Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge in American River, which is a much quieter place to stay. I liked the peacefulness of it.

If you feel like luxury, then stay at the Southern Ocean Lodge with its secluded cliff-top location on Hanson Bay. This beach is beautiful, and it’s on my bucket list. It’s also close to the West and South end of Kangaroo Island which gives you easy access to explore this region.

Getting around Kangaroo Island

There are no public transport options on the island. You can either get around on a tour or with a rental car. You can book your rental cars for Kangaroo Island here.

Make sure you check with the car provider if you are renting from Adelaide as some car hire companies don’t insure you for the ferry ride over to Kangaroo Island.

You can also hire cars from Kingscote or Penneshaw, where the ferry arrives. They will be more expensive than hiring from the mainland.

And keep in mind that many of the roads to some of the best spots are unsealed so ensure you also check with the car rental company as to whether you can drive on them or not.

Getting to Kangaroo Island

SeaLink is a fast and easy way to get to and from Kangaroo Island. They have coach transfers if you are leaving from Adelaide, which we caught.

I enjoyed the commentary along the way and the beautiful scenery of the Fleurieu Peninsula, at times it felt like you were in Ireland with the rolling green hills and coastline.

The ferry takes around 45 minutes and was very calm and flat. There’s a small cafe on board selling coffee and sandwiches and snacks and free Wi-Fi. And of course, resident dolphins!!

Craig was lucky to be standing outside enjoying a coffee and checking out the scenery and captured these dolphins playing out the front of the ferry.

Popular Kangaroo Island Tour

The Great Ocean Road & Kangaroo Island Tour

The Great Ocean Road and Kangaroo Island Tour may be the best way for you to explore this area. Cosmos Tours are part of the Globus family of brands who we love! Be sure to use our exclusive discount below.

Food, wildlife and heritage; this 8-day tour through Victoria and South Australia comes filled with awe-inspiring scenery, heritage sites, top-notch cuisine and endless fun experiences along the way.

Beginning in Melbourne and ending in Adelaide, you’ll travel west along the Great Ocean Road towards Adelaide, with overnight stops in Warrnambool, Mt Gambier, Tailem Bend and Kangaroo Island.

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Can you add any tips or highlights of a Kangaroo Island road trip?

The Pappas roam camouflaged through the scrub and the noxious purple-flowered weeds, their trail of chicks following.

The flowers may be toxic to the land, but they sure aren’t toxic to the eye. The aptly named Patterson’s Curse add vibrancy to the foreground of a landscape muted in brown and green and the soft pastel reds and oranges of the cliffs. On our visit, it was the greenest it’s been in over 40 years!

When you arrive in the Outback, you realise all you need is open space, Mother Earth, colours and an abundance of life to gaze upon.

Flinders Ranges National Park, or Ikara to the Adnyamathanha, the traditional owners of this land, is one of our favourite Outback destinations in Australia. Ikara is the traditional name for this region the national park encompasses and means Meeting Place.

You’ll quickly learn how this name came about and how the Wilpena Pound – the drawcard to the park – was formed. Wilpena Pound is a spiritual place for the Adnyamathanha people. It’s here that two giant snakes, or Akurra, encircled the tribe locking them in after two youths disobeyed tribal law to kill the young Akurra.

Tribal law is important within the Indigenous way of life. It’s law that the traditional owners do not enter the pound. It’s bad for their spiritual juju if they do.

I adored my time in Ikara. It is exquisitely beautiful. Ancient. Timeless. It holds a spiritual power that can never be captured by words, photographs, or film – even though we tried.

We stood among hills that are said to be the oldest in the world. We looked at fossils and landscape that dated 630 million years ago. Can you imagine the stories they hold?

I felt so blessed to be walking upon this land. But so blessed to experience it with several different indigenous guides. They were welcoming, open, gentle, kind and shared so much about the land, its secrets, and their cultures. I was especially grateful that the girls were there to absorb all of that as well.

I felt so much sadness though at the history of white Australia treatment of the traditional owner of our land. I don’t wish to go into it in this post, because as Michael said as we gazed upon the setting sun over Wilpena Pound

 “We Adnyamathanha people are a forward looking people. We don’t like to look back and dwell on the past. We want to work together for a better future.”

I agree. My ears, eyes, and heart are open to listening and learning and collaborating. I mention it briefly as  loved this tile I saw at the memorial in the Wilpena Pound homestead,

And with that, let’s move forward as to what makes Ikara so beautiful and what you can experience here. It’s up there with a mesmerising wow factor similar to Uluru and Kakadu National Park.

Getting around Ikara Flinders Ranges National Park

There are sealed roads throughout the park to get you to some of the main areas. However, many of the sites below are unsealed and suitable only for 4WD. We could not access these areas with our motorhome and so experienced them on a guided tour from the Wilpena Pound Resort instead.

Even if you do have a 4WD, I highly recommend joining at least one of the Indigenous guided tours from the resort. We loved our time with Michael, Jimmy, and Terence. We learned so much more about the area – both from a scientific, geological perspective and through the stories of the Dreamtime and Adnyamathanha culture.

You can rent a 4WD from our partners, RentalCars.com

Where to stay in Flinders Ranges National Park

There are plenty of bush camping spots all around the National Park. These cost $15 a night

You can stay at Wilpena Pound Resort to have a little more comfort and amenities. The resort has powered and unpowered sites as well as motel rooms, and Ikari safari tents. There is also a restaurant if you don’t plan on self-catering.

We camped in a powered site and loved waking up in the natural bush setting with kangaroos and emus on our doorstep.

Be sure to join the Welcome to Country at the flag pole which is held every evening at 6 pm.

We stayed for three nights. I could have stayed a lot longer and enjoyed days hiking interspersed with relaxing. That scenery is enough to happy my heart.

View Points in Ikara Flinders Ranges National Park

Rawnsley Lookout

Rawnsley Lookout is about 15km south of Wilpena Pound as you drive in from Hawker. There are gorgeous views of Rawnsley Bluff, which are amazing cliff formations near Wilpena Pound. Sunrise is meant to be when it really lights up.

It was here that I captured one of my favourite photos from the trip of my girls!

Sunset at Stokes Hill Lookout

There’s nothing I love more than an Outback sunset and a glass of bubbly. Stokes Hills Lookout is an excellent vantage point looking out over the Wilpena Pound wall as the sun sets behind it. It puts the pound in shadow. Sunrise would be extraordinary up here as the sun would be lighting up the

Sunrise would be remarkable up here as the sun would be lighting up the pound wall in those amazing pastel colours.

We joined the Sunset Spectacular tour from the resort.

Don’t forget to look behind you while up there, the views of the ranges are just as good.

Razorback Lookout

What a way to end our Gorgeous Gorges tour (see next).

Razorback Lookout has to be one of the prettiest panoramic views I’ve ever seen.

While here, our guide, Jimmy told us stories of how he would camp here when he was young with his grandfather. It was beautiful to watch his eyes light up as he shared special memories of his childhood. I can only imagine how grounded you’d be with this as your backyard.

Gorges Tour of Flinders Ranges National Park

We experienced the following areas on the Time Travel and Gorgeous Gorges tours from Wilpena Pound Resort.

Jimmy, our guide gave an excellent and thorough insight into the area and his culture. We explored a corridor of time tracing more than 100 million year geological history into the gorges. It was a half day tour, which included a yummy cake and strawberries and cream morning tea break in the gorge.

You can do a longer day that incorporates this tour with a visit to the Prairie Hotel to feast on feral food and Parachina Gorge, both of which we had many people recommend we do. Something to come back for!

Bunyeroo Gorge

The Bunyeroo Scenic Drive is a great drive with spectacular views and a trip through the gorge itself.

The drive through the gorge is a narrow, winding on rough terrain driving on gravel and rocky roads crossing several creeks. The scenery is beautiful with giant river gums and ghost gums along the creek beds and views to the Wilpena Pound.

This drive leads you to the spectacular Razorback Lookout as mentioned above.

Brachina Gorge

There’s a 20km self-guided Geological Trail through Brachina Gorge that passes through 650 million years of earth history. It’s pretty incredible.

It’s best to travel the trail from East to West. Detailed interpretive signage is positioned along the route providing an insight into past climates, the formation of the ranges and the evolution of early forms of life.

We enjoyed stopping to look at the imprints of stromatolites, some of the earliest forms of life ever to appear on earth.

Brachina Creek winds through a colourful canyon of quartzite bluffs, among the toughest rocks in the Flinders.

One thing that stands out when you arrive in Flinders are the pine trees standing amongst the tall river gums sucking up all the water. My initial thought was they had been planted by the pastoralists, but Jimmy informs us they are in fact native and serve some important purposes, one being to keep the termites away.

The Outback never fails to surprise and delight.

Keep a look out for the rare and endangered Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby. You’ll see them in the early morning and late afternoon as they soak up the warm sun. They played a great game of hide and seek while we were there!

Wilpena Pound

Wilpena Pound is a magnificent natural amphitheatre and the centrepiece of the Ikara Flinders Ranges National Park

There are a couple of walks you can take into the pound and to lookout points. We also heard rave reviews about the flight over the pound itself and how incredible it is to see it from the air. Jimmy tells us you can actually see the Dreamtime story creation from up there.

Here are a couple of the walks we did that were okay for the girls

Hills Homestead/Wangarra Lookout

It’s 6.6km return to the Hills Homestead. It’s a flat, easy, shaded and beautiful walk along the creek.

The Homestead has signs telling the story of a pioneer family who lived here. There’s also signage telling of the Dreamtime story.

From the homestead, you can walk 300m to a lower lookout and then 500m to the higher lookout for extraordinary views into the pound. It was fabulous to be inside the pound and see the walls of the serpent closing us in.

It took us just over 2 hours to do the walk.

Drought Busters Walk

I found the Drought Busters walk fascinating to learn about the boom and bust times of the Ikara region. You could tell we were visiting during boom times – wildlife was prolific, there was still water in the creek, and everything was so lush and green. It’s the greenest it’s been in over 40 years!

This 2km loop trail has interpretative signs, meanders alongside the creek and goes slightly uphill to give you some views.

It was the first walk we did, and I instantly fell in love. Look at all these river red gums!

It’s amazing they are in the Outback. They are my favourite tree and, as keeping with my discoveries when we visited the Barossa Valley, South Australia has the most beautiful gum trees in the country.

Wilpena Station

It was hard to imagine Wilpena Homestead as being anything but one of the most beautiful places to live. We were seeing it in boom time – lush in colour and plant life. It’s a property filled with huge river red gums and views out to the ranges. It felt peaceful here.

Wilpena Station was a working cattle station for 135 years. As it was one of the most significant pastoral sites in South Australia, it’s now preserved as a historical site.

You can join a cultural walk from Wilpena Pound to learn more about the European and Indigenous history of this station.

We spent the afternoon walking around it ourselves. The self-guided walk “Living with the Land” explores the themes of self-sufficiency, improvisation, and survival on the remote and isolated pastoral settlements of the Flinders Ranges.

I loved Ikara, the circular ground sculpture that pays tribute to the Aboriginal people’s contribution to pastoralism over the last century.

Sacred Canyon

Sacred Canyon is just outside the borders of the National Park on private property. We joined Terence on a cultural tour from the Wilpena Pound Visitor Centre.

Sacred Canyon is where the Adnyamathanha people carved symbols in the rock instead of painting them. Terence led us through the gorge and explained to us what the different symbols on the canyon walls meant and what it told us about the people who lived in the area.

Terence also showed us how weapons were repaired using the sap from the pine trees and how there’s never a reason to say you have nothing to do.

We sat in the dry creek bed with small stones of various colours shading designs into other rocks. It was a beautiful exchange between him and the girls.

When we returned to the campsite, Savannah had me sit with her for hours continuing the art lesson.

The Outback is where Australia really leaves its mark for me. It encapsulates so much about my country that I love. No other place in Australia makes me feel more at home and like I live in the most special continent on Earth.

I am so grateful that we had this experience in Ikara Flinders National Park before we depart for the US. My soul needed one more Outback experience to take with me.

Don’t miss it.

More resources to help you plan your trip to South Australia

• Lonely Planet guide to South Australia
• Outback Australia road trips
• Things to do on the Eyre Peninsula – 6 day itinerary
• 11 Food and wine experiences in the Barossa Valley

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We stayed as guests of Wilpena Pound Resort.

In a nutshell, or should I say oyster shell, this is the Eyre Peninsula.

We’ve been keen to explore this region of South Australia ever since our mates, Em and Nick from The Blockshop told us it was one of their favourite regions in Australia. They were a couple of weeks ahead of us on our Australian road trip and reported back that we could not miss Coffin Bay and the surrounds.

Sadly, we did due to exhaustion and cutting our road trip short. Eyre Peninsula has been on our agenda ever since. As soon as we decided to visit South Australia, we plotted it in as our first destination.

In this post, we’ll outline a road trip itinerary you can follow as well as things to do on the Eyre Peninsula.

How many nights you stay at each place depends on upon your travel time. We recommend taking at least a week to explore the Eyre Peninsula.

Whyalla

Whyalla was a stopover destination for us to break up the long drive between Adelaide and Port Lincoln. It’s about a six-hour drive from Adelaide, which is short for Australian standards.

Our campsite at Discovery Parks was right on the foreshore, so we woke up to beautiful views of the ocean. It was a serene place for me to sit for my morning sun gazing and meditation. Craig walked up to the top of Hummock Hill for sunrise and pretty views over the town.

The best experience we had in Whyalla was sunset from the marina. If you’re there when the boats are coming in and out there’s a good chance you’ll see some dolphins following them. The marina is a short 1km walk from the campsite.

As you can see from the pictures, sunset is beautiful in Whyalla.

Point Lowly Lighthouse

About 20 minutes northwest of Whyalla is Point Lowly Lighthouse. It’s worth a drive to see the stunning views of the Gulf framed by the Flinders Ranges. It’s your first glimpse of the brilliant blue waters that make the beaches drop your jaw.

If you have more time, there is the Freycinet Trail, which is suitable for hiking or driving. It follows the coast of Fitzgerald Bay for 12 km.

Wild Dog Hill

We didn’t get to experience it, but I heard rave reviews about the views from Wild Dog Hill in the Whyalla Conservation Park which is about 30 minutes north-west of Whyalla. Sunrise and sunset are particularly good.

East Coast of Eyre Peninsula

Take your drive down to Port Lincoln slowly. If you have more time, stay at one of the seaside villages for a night or two. We cruised down stopping to check out some of the small fishing villages and white sandy beaches.

The most beautiful beach was probably Port Neill.

We loved the heritage feel of Cowell, with its beautiful preserved buildings. The drive from Cowell to Port Gibbon is meant to be spectacular. We had glimpses of the ocean from the highway but couldn’t take the scenic coastal drive is it was an unsealed road.

Arno Bay and Tumby Bay are also worth a rest stop.

The drive from Tumby Bay into Port Lincoln with it’s rolling green hills and hay bales is gorgeous.

Port Lincoln

What a lovely town Port Lincoln is! Port Lincoln is on Boston Bay, one of the largest protected natural harbours in the world and three times the size of Sydney Harbour!!

It’s a good lifestyle in Port Lincoln, and it’s one of those towns where the locals are warm and friendly and obviously in love with the region.

They’re happy to share their tips and stories on the endless places they have to discover in the region during their free time. In hindsight, we would have planned for more time here.

We recommend using Port Lincoln as a base to explore the southern and east coast of the Eyre Peninsula.

Swimming with the sea lions

I shared an email with my Notes on the Road crew (my special tribe that gets my most personal and intimate stories – join us it’s free) that almost two years ago I refused to swim with the sea lions at Baird Bay because I was afraid of sharks. Port Lincoln is the home of cage diving with Great White Sharks so you can guarantee they like the waters around here.

This time I enthusiastically dived into the water with the Australian sea lions without a glimmer of shark fear, #I’vechanged. Swimming with the sea lions in Port Lincoln  is a completely wild experience, and there are strict rules in place to protect them.

As soon as we hopped in the water, the sea lions swam out to greet us, spinning around us underwater and jumping out. The more you move and play the more excited they get. They swim right up to you and stare intently and openly in your face. It’s adorable.

Kalyra had a short time with us in the water. She feels the cold intensely and couldn’t put the shivering behind her and so went back to the main boat.

Savannah is very cautious by nature and does not like the water. She stood with us in the water for awhile watching them play and swim around her. That was enough for her, and she joined Kalyra, leaving time for us to play with our new friends.

The captain took the girls for a little ride in the tender to watch the sea lions on the beach.

The water is cold – it is sea lion territory after all, but the crew provides you with thick wetsuits, which make it bearable. The crew from Calypso Star Charters were super friendly and told us many stories about the Port Lincoln area.

The hot shower and delicious lunch after our swim were so welcome. Press play to see what the swimming with sea lions experience is like – subscribe to our YouTube channel, so you don’t miss more travel videos.

Lincoln National Park

We recommend using a day (or even longer) to explore the Lincoln National Park. There are many off-roads you can explore if you have a 4WD. There are plenty of lookout spots along the way so drive slowly and take in the magnificent views of the harbour, stunning coastline and nearby islands.

It’s the place to come if you like hiking, fishing, swimming, 4WDriving, photography and bush camping. It’s truly stunning, and we’ll add it to our best national parks in Australia list.

Fees: $11 per vehicle per day/ $11 per vehicle per night to camp

Stamford Hill Walk

For epic views of Boston Bay, Port Lincoln town and the coastline of the National Park, take the short walk up Stamford Hill. Check out the historic Flinders Monument, built in memory of Matthew Flinders who surveyed the Eyre Peninsula coastline in 1802.

Consider taking a head net as the flies were a little pesky when we went. It’s an easy enough walk for kids to enjoy as well.

Savannah took her notebook with her to record animals she found along the way, and at the top Savannah and Kalyra created and filmed their own magic show. I love how they manage to entertain, create and teach themselves.

At the base of the walk are a couple of lovely beaches worth checking out. The entire coastline in Lincoln National Park is full of them.

We were told by a local that Memory Cove was the secret best beach in the region. A permit and gate key is required from Port Lincoln Visitor Information Centre. This is to help reduce numbers and preserve the wilderness environment.

Sleaford Bay

Sleaford Bay is on the way to Fishery Bay and Whalers Way. It’s worth a detour and a great spot for whale watching during the season. If you have a 4WD, there are sand dunes to visit and slide down.

Fishery Bay

A must is driving out to Fishery Bay. We had a thrill driving out to Fisheries – a kangaroo came bounding beside us to drag race us. You can see it in our upcoming video (or on Instagram here). Boy, can they jump fast! We were driving about 40km/hr, and it managed to stay up with us for a good minute or so.

Fishery Bay would easily make our top beaches in Australia list. It’s stunning – powdery white sand that curves around in the bay, crystal clear turquoise water, rolling waves, and not a soul to be seen.

Fishery Bay is a surfing beach. As a local told us, it’s also known for it’s Great White Sharks out beyond in the channel. So swim carefully and close to shore.

Whalers Way

From Fishery Bay you can drive the 14km Whalers Way drive along the southern most tip of the Eyre Peninsula. Featuring cliffs, blowholes, caves, crevasses and golden beaches, Whalers Way is said to have some of the best coastal scenery in Australia.

We didn’t get to do it, but it comes highly recommended.

Fee: $30.00 per Car. Plus $10 Key hire. Available at the Port Lincoln Visitor Information Centre.

The Rogue & Rascal Cafe

We were so tired on our first afternoon in Port Lincoln that we broke our no-coffee-after-midday rule. Trip Advisor reviewers told us that The Rogue & Rascal had the best coffee in South Australia!!! It was outstanding, and we returned the next day.

The Rogue & Rascal has pretty views out over the Town jetty and the gluten free biscotti’s were also delicious. They had a healthy menu that totally suited my gluten-free, sugar-free, not-coffee-free eating habits. Port Lincoln is full of surprises.

We had several people jump out on our Facebook page later to recommend it as the place to go! Put it on your coffee bucket list.

Winters Hill Lookout

To gain a perspective of the Port Lincoln area drive about five minutes out of town up to Winters Hill Lookout. You’ll get 360-degree views over the harbour, town, and surrounding farmlands.

Head up there for sunset so you can see it in daylight, the orange glow of dusk, and twilight when the town lights come on.

Seafood dinner

Grab yourself some fresh local tuna from Sarins – a bargain at $30 a kilo and some fresh local oysters from Port Lincoln Gourmet foods, again a bargain at $8-10 a dozen depending on your size. The Eyre Peninsula has some of the best seafood in Australia, and the Port Lincoln region is famous for Bluefin tuna, King George Whiting, and oysters.

We cooked ours up in our Britz motorhome and enjoyed a meal sitting outside with views of the beautiful harbour.

Stay at Port Lincoln Tourist Park

We stayed in Port Lincoln for three nights in the Port Lincoln Tourist Park. Its position was right on the water with beautiful views across the bay to the National Park and recommend this tourist park as a place to stay in Port Lincoln.

We didn’t get a chance to enjoy the Parnkalla Trail which winds its way around the edges of Port Lincoln’s harbour. From the caravan park, you can walk one direction on it into Port Lincoln Town and the other way to Port Lincoln Marina.

Other things to do in Port Lincoln

The locals recommended these activities and places in Port Lincoln:

• Makybe Diva life-sized statue on the foreshore. The owner of Australia’s most famous modern racehorse is from Port Lincoln
• Mikkara station is a wonderful picnic and camping area that has an abundance of wild koalas and birdlife
• Port Lincoln Pier Hotel for dinner and jetty views
• Glen Forest Tourist Park and Vineyard offers an interactive experience with kangaroos, koalas, and other animals

Click play to see more of the Eyre Peninsula from Whyalla to Port Lincoln:

Coffin Bay

It might sound like a morbid town, but picturesque Coffin Bay is anything but.

The town was not named after wooden boxes built for the afterlife, but a friend of explorer, Matthew Flinders. Coffin Bay is famous in Australia for the oysters that grow in its waters.

I’m not a devoted oyster lover; I can have one or two, and that’s enough. I could have easily sat down and eaten a dozen of the oysters from Coffin Bay. In fact, we ate a couple dozen during our time in the region.

Coffin Bay oysters are outstanding and the best I’ve ever eaten.

Coffin Bay is only 46km from Port Lincoln so you can easily visit on a day trip. We visited in the morning on the way to Elliston.

Pure Coffin Bay Oyster Farm Tour

While in Coffin Bay, learn all about the oyster aquaculture on an informative oyster tour at the Pure Coffin Bay Oysters.

In case you didn’t know, Craig and I once worked on a pearl farm in Western Australia, so I have a high interest in learning more about a similar industry. It sure gives you appreciation to what goes into making the perfect oyster, and you can understand why they are a higher priced luxury item.

The girls were fascinated as well, especially by the machine that sorted the oysters. (Science lesson check)

At the end of the tour, Chris taught us how to shuck an oyster, and gave us a few samples. He has started to reintroduce a native Angasi oyster into the farm These were the original native oysters that started the industry back in 1848.

Sadly the oyster collectors back then knew nothing about conservation and wiped them all out. He’s bringing them back, and we sampled one (or maybe two). His apt description of the differences and how you approach eating them is to start with the Pacific Oyster as they are more of a white wine, followed by the more robust and lingering angasi. He was right.

I found it an experience like finishing off your meal with a red wine and a plate of mature cheese. I could have stayed there all afternoon.

Coffin Bay National Park

The Coffin Bay Peninsula is covered by coastal dunes and swamps and has a coastline of white beaches and limestone cliffs overlooking reefs and islands. There is plenty for you to see and do in the national park.

If you have a 4WD, you could spend days exploring and camping in the Coffin Bay National Park. The best parts are found via the 4WD tracks, but there are 2WD roads that take you to some spectacular lookouts and beaches.

Be prepared to see plenty of emus in this national park. We saw more emus in our two-week visit to South Australia than any other place in the country.

Entry is $10 per vehicle per day/ $11 a night per vehicle.

Oyster Walk

If you want to linger in Coffin Bay longer, there is an 8km walking trail around the foreshore of Kellidie Bay. The calm, pristine waters of the Bay are also great for all kinds of water activities. You can certainly see why oysters grow well here.

Drive between Coffin Bay and Elliston

If you have a 4WD, you might want to take the drive to Elliston a little slower and stop at many of the beaches along the way.

Leo Cummings Monument

I love the 360-degree views here overlooking the rugged cliffs and mountains and then behind the arid, dusty landscape and the nearby salt lake. Gorgeous. It’s worth pulling over for a look and a snap.

Lock Wells Beach

Dramatic coastline is at Lock Wells. It’s not the place for swimming or surfing, but Locks Wells Beach is meant to be one of the most reliable spots for Australian salmon fishing in South Australia. It’s where the big boys are!

There’s a lookout over Locks Wells, or you can walk down the 283 wooden stairs to the beach. It’s also meant to be a good spot for sunset.

Elliston

Elliston is a peaceful seaside town on Waterloo Bay, with tranquil waters perfect for fisherman, snorkeling, and safe swimming. The beaches on either side of the bay are wild and rugged.

Elliston is the kind of place you could chill awhile and the perfect base to explore the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It reminded me a lot of the small coastal towns in Western Australia that entrance you.

The Great Ocean Drive

Said to rival the Great Ocean Road, this 12-kilometre loop drive takes in spectacular coastal scenery from Waterloo to Anxious Bay. I’m not quite sure why it’s called Anxious Bay as I felt pretty calm and in awe when we arrived and saw the colour of the water.

Look at it!!! Spectacular. There’s a perfect spot in the corner for families to swim. (I think the anxious part has to do with boating and fishing, so take care!)

Along the cliff face are giant permanent sculptures making the drive and your photographs all the more interesting.

Take it slow and enjoy the views of the rugged cliffs that form part of the Great Australian Bight. Start from the most northern point at Anxious Bay and drive backward into Waterloo Bay, finishing with views at Salmon Point over the Bay and Elliston.

We recommend stopping at Blackfellows Point to watch the surfers. When we pulled up there was one surfer dude standing with half a board and two more climbing back up the cliff face after a session. They were the last of the surfers tackling the wild and rolling sets. I’ve never heard of it before, but apparently Blackfellows is one of Australia’s best surfing breaks. I’d much rather be the group of guys on the cliff face watching with beers in hand.

I’d much rather be the group of guys on the cliff face watching with beers in hand.

We had another wonderful lesson in Mrs Makepeace’s world classroom on this drive. Savannah took the lead, jumping out with her leap pad to draw pictures of the sculptures as a record. Go Nay, making my job so easy!! (Note: Nay is what Savannah called herself when she could first speak. The nickname stuck.)

Sunset over Waterloo Bay

We heard several times that the sunsets in Elliston were pretty special. Grab a spot anywhere on the beach and have it practically all to yourself. The sun sets behind an island that looks like Uluru and a couple of smaller ones beside it that look like sailboats.

When the sun sets, it sends a ring of fire around the island and reminded me so much of an Uluru sunset. It’s the Uluru of the Sea.

Stay at Elliston Waterloo Bay Tourist Park

We stayed one evening at the Elliston Waterloo Bay Tourist Park. It’s in a perfect position on the beach and a short walk into town, and the owners were super friendly.

Venus Bay

On the way to Venus Bay, if you have a 4WD, check out Lake Newland Conservation Park. With its rolling white sand dunes and wetland area, it looked pretty special from the highway.

If you love fishing, then the Eyre Peninsula will be your paradise. Venus Bay is another small seaside village good for fishing and all kinds of water activities.

South Head Walking Trail

The 2.2 Short Headlands walk is well worth doing. The views are spectacular and the landscape rocky, arid and colourful. At the entrance to the bay, you may spot surfing dolphins, sea lions, and whales when in season. I loved Savannah’s response to the views,

“This is so beautiful. I want to take a photo of all the colours with my camera.”

Just south of Venus Bay is Camel Beach and the popular Talia Cave Tourist Drive – we couldn’t get to them in our vehicle. The Tub and Woolshed are said to be two beautiful caves and caverns to explore.

Streaky Bay

We did not visit Streaky Bay on this trip, but we did at the end of our great Australian road trip.

It’s a gorgeous little town, and the nearby area is stunning to explore. When you visit Eyre Peninsula, you’ll soon discover Matthew Flinders was a pretty important man in this region. He explored and discovered most of it back in the early 1800’s fact check.

He named it Streaky Bay because of the bands of colour in the water he thought indicated a large river entering the ocean. It was only oils given off the seaweed (which I didn’t even know was a thing!)

• Enjoy the coastal scenery on the drive down to Point Labatt. Point Labatt is home to the only permanent colony of sea lions on the Australian mainland. You can watch them frolicking on the beach and under the cliff face from the lookout.
• 10km south of Streaky Bay is the 10m Westwall loop. There are spectacular views of the Southern Ocean, surfing beaches and the girls loved playing in the Yanerbie sand dunes.
• Murphy’s Haystacks are a unique outcrop of pink granite boulders about 40km southeast of Streaky Bay, and I’m baffled as to how we missed these when we were there.

How we got around the Eyre Peninsula

We cruised around the Eyre Peninsula in our mobile home, a 6-berth motorhome, hosted by Britz. We enjoyed our motorhome, especially the girls. We’ll have a post coming soon sharing our thoughts on the motorhome experience.

There were a few spots we couldn’t get to due to unsealed roads. It wasn’t too many, and it didn’t impact our trip too much, especially given the short time we had. But, consider this with your planning. Another option is to rent a 4WD to explore the Eyre Peninsula.

More South Australia travel tips

• A visit to Flinders Ranges National Park, South Australia
• Wine and food experiences in the Barossa Valley & Adelaide Hills
• The quirky jewel of the Outback: Coober Pedy
• A 4 day road trip of Kangaroo Island

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What tips can you add for things to do on the Eyre Peninsula?

Finally a chance for relaxation and a little romance. What’s that again?

We’ve already shared with you the natural beauty of this region and the incredible food and wine you can have. Now let’s talk about how to unwind and fall in love.

There’s a lot of love floating around in the Barossa air. It can be felt in every conversation, every morsel of food that is grown and eaten, the stories that stand behind everything that is produced, and with every sweet, dry, rich and flavoursome bottle of wine.

We were invited as guests of Jacob’s Creek to experience what their wine is #MadeBy. It all comes back to love, passion and connectedness and that’s always how you shape the most miraculous things.

Let’s see how you can get your Marvin Gaye on and experience more of that in the Barossa and Adelaide Hills in South Australia with these omantic things to do in Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills.

1. Picnic for two by bike

People are often surprised when Craig and I suggest activities like cycling and hiking for a romantic experience. I think most people picture champagne, candlelit dinners and spa treatments.

Okay, we do that too, but we also like getting out and enjoying an experience together.

Before kids, many of our memorable moments were spent hiking mountains, horse-riding through canyons, and exploring villages and cities on bikes.

So, when the rare alone time moments arrive, we’re keen to lace up the shoes and get dirty.

The Jack Bobridge Bike Trail winds for 27km through vineyards and villages between Gawler and Tanunda. We set off from the Jacob’s Creek Visitors Centre down towards the creek and along the hilly track until it hit the main road.

We then turned around to have our picnic at the perfect place we spotted on the way down.

With the Jacob’s Creek bike hire and picnic experience we can combine that with wine and delicious food.

In our books, it’s one of the most romantic things you can do. We timed our bike ride beautifully. The sun came out as soon as we laid the picnic blanket out beside the vines and Jacob’s Creek.

Choose a picturesque spot along the trail to enjoy local cheeses, olives and other delights for lunch with a glass of wine, all from your specially prepared picnic pack.

The Jacob’s Creek bike hire and picnic pack costs $150 for two people and can be enjoyed for as long as you like. We recommend making at least a half day of it and exploring more of this beautiful region.

2. Enjoy a Massage at Mount Lofty House

Apart from getting active in nature, the next requirement we have for a romantic and relaxing getaway is a massage.

It’s a treat we rarely give to ourselves and after our massage at the Stables Day Spa at Mt Lofty House, we both walked out saying, “We need to do that more often.”

I think this was the best massage I’ve ever had. It was only for 30 minutes, but it was a deep pressure massage on my back. My therapist said my shoulder region was extremely tight and wound up and I felt much of that pressure go after the massage.

It was a very relaxing experience and was perfectly timed after our strenuous Mt Lofty hike.

Yep. In reflection, I’d say best massage ever. #TakeMeBack

3. Early Morning Yoga Session

Yoga is part of my regular morning routine. When I travel, I’m always seeking yoga classes in beautiful locations in the local area.

I was excited to take an early morning class looking out over the gardens and valleys in the Barossa. Even better that Craig could join me.

Our teacher Natalia led us through a gentle yoga session that woke up our body and had us ready for our last day together in this beautiful region.

During the summer, Natalia leads an hour yoga class on the grounds of the Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre (in front of that tree!) followed by breakfast, tea and coffee.

For only $15, I find this a super amazing deal. On our travels around Australia, one yoga session alone would cost me at least that much.

For more info on the yoga sessions at Jacob’s Creek check back here when summer comes back around.

4. Bubbles with Breakfast

Okay, so you can’t come to the Barossa for romance and relaxation and not have bubbles for breakfast. Because we love balance, we recommend doing it after a yoga session! No guilt needed.

We ate in the servants’ quarters attached to our cottage, with the fire crackling and gorgeous views over the vineyard.

I think it was possibly my idea of the most perfect morning. We didn’t quite have champagne, as it’s not what this region is noted for, but we had the most perfect alternative with the Jacob’s Creek Reserve Chardonnay Sparkling Pinot Noir.

I have a bottle of this sparkling in my fridge at the moment, which I bought the other evening from my local bottle shop. It’s the only time I’ve ever bought sparkling wine. We have a winner.

The bubbles were paired perfectly with soft scrambled eggs with hot smoked salmon and semi dried tomatoes and raspberries and blueberries with honey yoghurt.

Sorry, Craig that I can’t cook a breakfast this good again. At least we have the bubbles.

5. Private Dinner at Heritage Vineyard

How about starting with your own private chef at a spectacular historical location on the banks of Jacob’s Creek?

Get to know the culture of Jacob’s Creek finest wines more intimately at Heritage House, the original home to the company’s founder Johann Gramp.

We started in the reception room with a glass of Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir and Harrisa house-smoked salmon with horseradish cream. Over our canapés, we learned more about Johann Gramp’s home and vision for quality wine.

Not too many years ago, the stories and charm of the sandstone walls were covered over with plaster. A chance chipping away revealed the original splendour of this building and so we have this historical experience beside the original site of the Jacob’s Creek first vines.

This is a pretty special site as in this spot, Johann Gramp planted the very first commercial vineyard in the Barossa Valley.

From little things, big things grow!

We then had a little peek into the cellar from the windowed floor above and sat down to a table filled with a lot of empty wine glasses! Whoa. There was going to be some tasting happening during dinner.

The five-course menu was created by using local produce and the Jacob’s Creek garden that we loved so much. Each course was carefully matched with a Jacob’s Creek wine.

The Jacob’s Creek Heritage wines are definitely some of the best I’ve tasted in Australia (which means the world because let’s face it Aussie wines are the BEST. Yes they are. And that’s truth with a hint of proud bias)

On the menu:

Entree:

South Australian Spencer Gulf King Prawn with betel leaf, Asian herbs and tamarind dressing paired with 2013 Jacob’s Creek

Keyneton pork belly and Hervey Bay scallop with cauliflower puree and fennel butter paired with 2013 Jacob’s Creek Reeves Point Barossa Chardonnay.

Main Course:

Coonawarra Dry-Aged Hereford beef fillet with braised mushroom and Béarnaise Sauce paired with 2010 Jacob’s Creek Centenary Hill Barossa Shiraz.

Dessert:

Chocolate truffle ‘cake’ with butterscotch ice cream and salted peanut praline paired with 2010 Jacob’s Creek Johann Shiraz Cabernet.

Our personal chef for the night, Sean Lindley, then joined us after dinner for a glass of red and a chat about his life as a chef and living in nearby Eden Valley. It was a wonderful evening.

To book this experience for yourselves (it’s a bit pricey so perhaps save it for a super special occasion), call 08 8521 3000 or visit here.

6. Boutique Hotel Stays

A great way to experience a touch of romance and relaxation on your Barossa and Adelaide experience is to stay in a boutique hotel.

Look for a place that has charm and history and stories to tell.

We stayed in the Jacob’s Estate Cottage, which is the beautifully restored original home of William Jacob after whom the famous creek was named. Staying at the cottage where the Barossa, as it stands for today, really grew its roots was such a humbling experience. It was a moment where I whispered, “God I love my country.”

Unfortunately staying at the cottage is not available to the general public. But, we shared ways you can experience the grounds of the cottage in this post and here.

In the Adelaide Hills, we stayed at Mt Lofty House, which used to be the residential home of the Hardy family. Nice digs Mr Hardy! Sure would have liked to have come to one of your parties.

The charming manor house, built in 1852 has incredible views over the Piccadilly Valley.

After our massage here, we dressed for dinner and headed to the billiards room for a glass of red and a game of pool. It was nice for Craig and I to just unwind and have a fun time playing together. We rarely get to play like this.

Like usual he kicked my butt, but I did win on a technicality. Despite me having several balls left on the table, he sunk the white when he was left with just the black to sink. Winner!!!

After pool, we headed out to a lovely dinner at Locavore, which you can read more about here.

7. Intimate Dinner at 1918 Bistro and Grill

1918 Bistro & Grill is chiseled into the foundation stone by the front door of this popular restaurant in Tanunda.

Friedrich Carl Gottleib Wallent added it as a finishing touch to his new family home. His son Morris later became the mayor of Tanunda and in 1992, a group of locals turned this home into the Barossa’s first bistro grill.

You can cosy on down beside the fire in what I presume was the family’s living room. The restaurant is warm and intimate and the perfect way to end your romantic and relaxing experience in the Barossa.

For entree, we shared a beetroot & vodka cured ocean trout, horseradish, baby capers, potato & dill salad.

For main, I devoured the Szechwan spiced double roast duck, stir fried Asian greens, spiced plum dressing and Craig enjoyed his angel hair pasta, smoked salmon, asparagus, zucchini, chilli, truffled crème fraiche

With it we enjoyed the St Hugo Barossa Shiraz 2012 which was a deliciously heady mix of dark ripe fruit.

And our friendly waiter insisted that we find room for dessert.

The food is just too good in this region to say no. It was raspberry and pomegranate Brulee with poached apple and pomegranate salsa, and mojito sorbet for me and Baileys and scorched almond ice cream with white chocolate brownie crumb and caramel fudge sauce for Craig.

Yum!

We need to bring back the romance more often.

Plan your trip to the Barossa Valley and the Adelaide Hills

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Our trip to the Barossa Valley was as guests of Jacob’s Creek. To read all our posts on the area click here.

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“Oh wow that has to be from one of the Barossa Valley wineries,” I say to Craig. It’s uncanny how a taste can send you down memory lane and take you right back to a destination / trip of a lifetime.

Visiting the Barossa Valley Wineries in South Australia and spending four days getting to know Jacob’s Creek showed me just how much goes into making a bottle of wine that we often sit back and swill without even a reflection of thought to the love and care that goes into it.

It’s more than just the wine makers and sommeliers. A bottle of Jacob’s Creek is made by the region from where it comes. Our journey gave us a deeper insight into the land, the community, the stories, and the food that shapes a bottle of wine.

We’re sharing our wine experiences in the Barossa Valley over a series of blog posts. We experienced a lot, so we’re breaking it up into three separate posts:

1. 12 Ways to Experience the Natural Beauty of the Barossa and Adelaide Hills

2. Food and Wine Experiences in the Barossa Valley

3. Romance and Relaxation in the Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills

We visited as guests of Jacob’s Creek as part of their new #MadeBy campaign to experience what this incredible wine region has to offer, and how the character of the place is reflected in every bottle of Jacob’s Creek.

We were delighted when they approached us as many of my own travel experiences have been made by Jacob’s Creek. It’s an iconic Australian brand, that not only has a history going back to settlement, but has followed me around the world.

Jacob’s Creek was the first wine I ever drank.

My best friend and I would grab a bottle of red and head out for pizza on one of our rare nights off work when we worked in the Temple Bar region of Dublin in 1999. She convinced me that a glass of red wine would open up a new world for me. (I always choose smart best friends.)

My brother’s ex-fiancé was from Paris. I would sometimes go over to Paris from London and stay with her family. There was only one condition – I bring over a few bottles of Jacob’s Creek wine as they loved it and could not buy it in France.

Jacob’s Creek has always been known as easy drinking, but we discovered on our visit to the Barossa that they have a wide range of premium wine labels that quickly became our favourites. We can’t wait to share them with you!

Over the four days, we felt as if we got to know the Jacob’s Creek family and the pride that runs deep into the flavours of the wine. I loved the stories that came with each new wine we tried. Everything is done with meaning and purpose and I grew to love the brand even more.

So let’s kick off this post with some food and wine experiences to enjoy in the Barossa and surrounding Adelaide regions.

Before we move on, let me say that Adelaide and it’s surrounds is known to be the food bowl region of South Australia. I reckon you can bump that up to Australia. It’s exceptional and I always love returning to Adelaide for that reason alone.

South Australians eat so much good local food which is great for diet, economy and environment. Ra ra Radelaide!

1. The Locavore, Adelaide Hills

We loved this small restaurant in Stirling, one of the prettiest villages in the Adelaide Hills. It was a wet and windy night, the rain dripped down the window and orange and red leaves danced around outside in the wind.

Loca-vore takes the concept of herbivore or carnivore but applies it to eating in a local manner. A locavore lives by the principles of the 100 Mile Diet. That is wherever possible, all produce is sourced from within a 160km radius.

Each day Loca-vore has a selection of 10 daily specials that features the food of the local region. I loved how there was just one dish per eating style. Less is more!

Our meal set a high standard for the Barossa and Adelaide Hills region.

For entrees we had roast pumpkin soup with candied balsamic and goat’s curd and Harrissa-smoked salmon with salmon mousse.

For mains I enjoyed a Vegetable + chickpea dukkah crusted bake with pear salad and Craig had a pulled smoked lamb shoulder with roasted quince and green beans

Our community tells us the Loca burgers are sensational.

Loca-vore is located in the main street of Stirling and is open for Lunch and Dinner Tuesday to Saturday, and for Lunch on Sundays.

2. Jacob’s Creek Cooking Class

I had tears pricking at the back of my eyes walking around the garden out the front of Jacob’s Estate Cottage with executive chef, Genevieve Harris.

The organic garden, full of produce is in the original position of Anne Jacob’s garden (sister of William Jacob after whom the famous creek was named) which she tended to when the cottage was first built in 1837.

I loved knowing we were spending time in a place full of rich history and the views out across the vines that run beside the actual Jacob’s Creek and across to the sandstone building that is currently being reconstructed to be the new tasting home of St Hugo wines.

It wasn’t the history that made the tears prick, it was the passion and enthusiasm of Genevieve and what she’s created because of that; sustainability, wholesome organic food mixed with a lot of love that goes straight form garden to plate.

This is what I love so much about South Australia. They care deeply about food and keeping it local and good for the body and for the economy.

Genevieve started the garden three years ago; it’s thriving and supplies almost all of the required produce for the kitchen in the Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre and Heritage Vineyard. We walked amongst quince and olive trees, pulled out artichokes and herbs for our lunch, and snacked on flowers and plants such as society garlic (garlic flavour without the bad breath)

“Gosh, all you need to do is walk out here when you’re hungry and grab some snacks straight form the garden.”

“Exactly, and its all organic so you don’t have to worry about cleaning them.”

Next in her plans are chickens and sheep, which will also help to tend to the vineyards with their grazing habits.

I don’t think there is anything that excites me more in life than to see people creating amazing things from their own passion and love. It has such a positive impact.

Genevieve was a primary school teacher, until one day deciding to step into the world of food, without any formal training. She seized the opportunity to learn from some of the best chefs like Neil Perry and created a career based on her passion that has taken her to kitchens in Sydney, Malaysia, Indonesia and now the Barossa.

Genevieve threw us an apron and a recipe, and using some of the ingredients from the garden we started cooking. Ruth, our lovely host, poured us a glass of Jacob’s Creek Reserve Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir. I usually struggle to drink one glass of sparkling wine, but this was so delicious I couldn’t resist.

What mother does not want a kitchen like this? Outdoor kitchen with beautiful views, a poppadom snack in one hand and a glass of bubbly in the other AND no kids running at your feet!

What was even more amazing was how much Craig got into it! He usually steers clear of the kitchen committing serious faux pas like making pasta with ketchup sauce instead of passata.

Genevieve taught him a few tricks like rapidly cutting up veg, making your own paste with a mortar and pestle, and cooking a piece of salmon with presentation side down first.

Not only do you get to pick the food from the garden, and then cook it, you get to eat it in the old servants quarters of Jacob’s Estate Cottage, with matching wine from Jacob’s Creek.

The fire was burning and the day, although slightly chilly, put on it’s splendour for us with blue skies and the autumn colours.

Here are the meals we cooked

Red lentil and coconut milk soup:

Seared salmon fillet with chickpea, seeds and nut salad with pomegranate yoghurt paired with the Jacob’s Creek Reserve Adelaide Hills Chardonnay.

Stay tuned: in a future post I’ll share with you the amazing recipes for these simple, yet delicious, healthy meals.

The cooking class was a fabulous experience that any small group can have when they visit Jacob’s Creek, but it must be booked in advance.

You can book at the Jacob’s Creek Visitors Centre. Not only will you enjoy the cooking and eating experience, but being part of the history of the old Jacob Creek home. It goes for around four hours and costs: $175 per person.

3. Woodside Cheese Wrights, Adelaide Hills

I don’t think there’s a better way to kick-start your wine experience in the Barossa than sitting down to a cheese tasting session.

The cheeses we tasted at Woodside Cheese Wrights were some of the most unique and innovative cheeses I’ve ever eaten.

Woodside is more than just good cheese, it’s an interesting story of Kris Lloyd who fell into cheese making. She decided to introduce cheese tasting as an add on to her family’s vineyard and took over Woodside Cheeses to resurrect it’s crumbling status.

One day, her cheese makers went to a conference and she was left to make the cheese. She dove right into the whey and curd and discovered a new passion. Since then she’s been experimenting and making unusual artisan cheese that stands head and shoulders above everyone else. Even her labels speak innovation – no cheesy moo cows to be found.

Kris has been told over again that the cheese she wanted to make couldn’t be done.

It’s that defiant spirit that can be found in cheeses like the award-winning Monet, a goat’s cheese with organic flowers on top; Goat on a hot tin Roof, Chevre with Chilli, Saltbush, Native Pepperberry and crushed Tanami Apples; raw milk cheese (she’s one of the only cheese makers licenced in Australia to do this; and a wide variety of buffalo milk cheeses (and they’re more innovative than just buffalo mozzarella.

Kris likes to use local ingredients for her cheeses, including indigenous plants like lemon myrtle and bush tomato. Before we left, Kris told us her best tip – enjoy your cheeses with a glass of bubbly. It’s the perfect match.

Woodside Cheese Wrights is located at 22 Henry St Woodside and is Open 7 days 10am-4pm

4. Star of Greece, Port Willunga

Every person we spoke to about visiting the Star of Greece on the cliffs of Port Willunga told us how much we’d like it. We’ve shared more about the beauty of this area in our natural beauty post. For now, let’s focus on the food and the views!

We started with Braised Port Willunga olives, and I had Kangaroo Island King George whiting, watermelon & mint salad, gribiche, hand cut chips, and Craig had Kangaroo Island salt & pepper squid, chipotle mayo, watermelon and mint salad, lime.

The food was fresh and local, and contemporary versions of some of Australia’s favourite traditional dishes. And watching dolphins swim in the calm waters below made this lunch date turn more into a bucket list moment.

For the healthy coffee lovers, the owner will soon be making coffees with homemade almond milk, which tempts me to return!

Reserve a table here, or eat mid-week because word on the street is that it gets very busy.

Star of Greece is located at 1 Esplanade, Port Willunga. Opened for lunch Weds- Sun 12- 3pm and Dinner Friday and Saturday from 6pm

5. Jacob’s Creek Food & Wine Masterclass and Two Course lunch

I think everyone needs a friend like James.

James is the Jacob’s Creek sommelier and after our experience with him in the food & wine sensory experience (see below), we tried to convince him to start his own app to give recommendations on wines when you are out and about.

The Masterclass is held in the Jacobs Creek visitor Centre and if you can peel your eyes away from the stunning 350 year old gum tree that forms part of the panoramic view from the windows, you’re sure to learn a lot about wine from James.

He’s a wealth of knowledge about how to correctly pair it with food. This experience taught me that I know nothing about wine and how much more I can enjoy a meal if I choose wines to match. The trick is to let the food and wine work in harmony so the flavours dance more.

I now know that salmon is best paired with chardonnay, although you do have to consider how the salmon is cooked as sometimes another wine may suit the cooking style or sauce flavours better.

Chardonnay is making a classy comeback. Chardonnay is the wine maker’s playground and is where their creative flair can emerge, which is why you can get so many different styles and tastes.

I’m loving the resurgence of chardonnay and its buttery fruitiness and it was my favourite Jacobs Creek white wine.

We also learned that Riesling is more for the formulaic wine makers. It can only be produced in certain circumstances and must not be played with.

I’ve never been a fan of Riesling, but the 2013 Jacob’s Creek Steingarten’s Eden Valley Riesling, grown in vineyards on top of the hills, was well-suited to me. Dry and crisp without any of the sweetness I’ve tried in this variety before and not liked. Its hints of lime pairs very well with the soy and lime dressing we had over a sautéed Spencer Gulf prawn. The Riesling also goes well with oysters!

We must tell you about the Double Barrel Shiraz which is only made at Jacob’s Creek and took them three years to perfect.

James wasn’t sure this was going to work when he first heard of it, but, after trying it he realised that he was wrong. The Shiraz is first matured in traditional wine oak barrels and then finished in a Scotch whiskey barrel. Whiskey barrels are charred on the inside and so give back a richer, deeper and smoother flavour.

We loved it and I think was possibly my favourite wine, which is actually a hard thing to decide on because I loved so many.

By the way, did you know there are over 51,000 varieties of grapes, and only 100 of them are grown in Australia? We’ll never grow out of new wines to taste!

Also, unlike France and other traditional wine making countries, Australia has no strict rules for how wine should be made,  which means we have room for innovation. That’s why our wines have been so well-received around the world.

I could write a post called “52 things I learned about wine thanks to James”. I want him on speed dial so every dinner party meal now will be superb.

The class is followed by a two course lunch consisting of main course and dessert. It was wonderful to eat another meal with produce that came direct from Genevieve’s’ fabulous garden and of course with those views, which I think are the prettiest from any vineyard I’ve visited in Australia.

I enjoyed a smoked paprika and caraway spiced Atlantic salmon with brussel sprouts and red capsicum sauce paired with 2014 Orlando St Hilary Padthaway Chardonnay.

Craig had a dry aged Black Angus beef fillet with roast pumpkin wedges, fennel and spiced butter paired with the 2012 Jacob’s Creek Double Barrel Shiraz.

Duration: 2.5 hours

Cost: $150

The Jacob’s Restaurant is open to the public daily for lunch from 12-3pm, and the Visitor Centre from 10-5 pm every day. For bookings call 08 8521 3000. Barossa Valley Way, Rowland Flat

6. Melba’s Chocolates, Adelaide Hills

Melba’s Chocolates was born in 1981 by Graeme and Joy Foristal in a small wash house behind their Adelaide Restaurant, ‘Melba’s’.

They soon saw the demand for a bigger space and brought the derelict premises they reside now in 1990. Which is not derelict now of course but houses a thriving family business.

We met Graeme’s son and daughter and loved the way Graeme moved about talking and joking with the workers. He was jovial and excited to show us the various production and preparing rooms and share with us the stories behind making Melba’s such a successful business.

There are plenty of samplings to be had in the factory and we even got to roll our sleeves up and make a bunch of chocolate snow cones for our girls.

Of course we had to bring them back a bag of chocolate. They sneak out of their room at 6am in the morning to try and pinch them from the fridge.

I don’t have a strong sweet tooth, but I myself was sneaking out at 6am to steal the chocolate-coated cherries and raspberries.

Melba’s Chocolates is located next door to Woodside Cheeses and is open Daily 9am-4:30pm

7. Mt Lofty Summit Cafe, Adelaide Hills

We highly recommend walking to the Mt Lofty Summit Cafe. It does involve a steep one hour walk as mentioned in our outdoor post. But, burn off some energy to prepare yourself for a delicious lunch on Adelaide’s highest peak with views over the Adelaide Hills and across to the city.

On a good day you can see all the way out to the ocean. We did not have a good day. In fact we could not see anything at the summit, but imagination is all you need.

If you do get a clear day, this could be your view.

Our lunch was delicious and our experience here was another indication to me that Adelaide people could possibly top the nicest people in the world list.

We arrived without plans to eat so had left our wallets back in our hotel room. We were strapped for time and Craig was considering running back to our hotel just up the road to get money. Then the waitress offered to drive him back to pick it up. No worries she said, it’s only up he road. I was stunned by this magnanimous gesture!

And her lovely colleague who had to handle the influx of visitors who arrived once she left needs a special mention to.

The soup we had for entree was delicious and perfect for warming up the body after the cool walk up. Craig had a Fettuchini Napoli with capsicum, chorizo and wilted spinach for lunch and I went the healthy quinoa salad, which was bursting with flavour.

Mt Lofty Summit Cafe is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm Saturday & Sunday 8.30am to 5pm

8. Steinys Traditional Mettwurst, Barossa Valley

Again in the town of Tanunda, is Steinys, a small Mettwurst factory. Not sure what Mettwurst is? I wasn’t either, but I soon learned.

So the Italians had their salami and then the Germans had mettwurst, which is a strongly flavoured German sausage, made from raw minced pork which is preserved by curing and smoking.

The Barossa has a very deep German history as most of the early European settlers were German-speaking Silesians.

We visited Steinys on our trike tour. Kate took us around to see the smoking rooms and explained the process of fermenting and smoking the meat smoked with South Australian Riverland Mallee timber.

Steinys has been supplying Australian homes with their beer snacks for 20 years. There’s a small tasting room where you can try all different types of mettwurst, including the most popular, garlic and my favourite was the Ring of Fire! It will smoke up your insides, but worth it if you dare.

Location: 9 Barossa Valley Way Taununda Mon-Fri 9am- 5pm, Sat-Sun 11am-4pm

9. Jacob’s Creek Wine and Food Sensory Experience

This is a relatively new experience at Jacobs Creek and one that is really interesting and fun that takes you on a sensory journey to explore how your five senses affect the way you taste wine.

How could it not be enjoyable sitting down to this. During a tasting you have the option to sip or spit out your wine.

James took us through a selection of Jacob’s Creek wines, which we paired with different types of food so we could see the impact each food had on the taste of the wine.

It enabled us to see which ones worked and which didn’t. We also focused on the smells of the wine and trying to shut off our brain to go with what our gut instinct told us was in the wine.

This, and the lunch Masterclass experience, helped me to view wine as something more than just something to throw down with a group of friends, or at 5pm after a long day with the kids. You can actually spend time with the wine experiencing its flavour and the stories that go into making it.

With each new glass of wine variety that we tried we learned a new story about the region, or the history of the area, and even of those who are busy working behind the scenes to take it from grape to glass.

The last wine we tried was concealed in a dark glass so you couldn’t tell if it was red or white wine. We had to rely on our other four senses to guess what type of wine it was. James took us through the process of focusing on the smell and the taste and what notes we could depict in there.

I’m not going to tell you what it was, but we got there eventually and picked the wine.

I loved this exercise as it really emphasized the need to trust your gut feeling, which James kept iterating to us. We rarely go with what our instincts and senses tell us. We rely too much on our brain, which has us second guessing ourselves and trying to get it right, rather than trusting the insights to flow out.

It’s really been my biggest life lesson of the past year. Thanks to James and this experience for emphasizing that this is the way to live your life.

So many great lessons can be learned from wine, right?

The Food and Wine Sensory Experience is held at the Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre. It goes for 1.5 hours and costs $55

10. Apex Bakery, Barossa Valley

Apex Bakery, in the town of Tanunda in the Barossa has been baking bread since 1924.

On passing, it would seem like just another place to get your bread and cakes, but inside lies another story of a family run business, which confidently claims to have the longest running, continuously fired commercial wood oven in Australia!

Slow ferment dough’s/breads and their pies and pasties are some of their specialties – all of which are made from recipes dating back to the 1800’s.

Johnny, our guide on the Barossa Trike Tours, took us inside and as he opened the door explained that on some Friday nights, they throw pizza in the oven and invite the locals down for a night of pizza and wine and conversation. It’s a tradition dating back many years.

As is the bread that Keith Fechner started making when, at 33, he bought the bakery he’d been working at since he was 12. His grandson, Cory took us out the back to look at this oven that never sleeps.

Apex Bakery is Located at 1a Elizabeth St Tanunda and is opened Monday – Friday  09:00 – 17:30 and Saturday 08:30 – 12:00

11. Adelaide Central Market

We did not visit the 140 year old Adelaide Central Market on this trip, but I have twice been before and I love it.

As with all things in this region, there is a real sense of community here.

The markets are filled with stories of local producers like Mario, the Green Grocer who has been selling fruit and veg from his farm for over 35 years; and The Italian Cafe, Lucina Italiana, which has been owned by three generations of a post-war immigrant family for 55 years .

We also highly recommend you take a tour of the Adelaide Central Markets with Mark Gleeson the owner of Providore, who is extremely passionate about sharing the markets and the stories of the people who make it so great. Oh yeah, he makes pretty great chocolate as well, which you get to taste.

The Adelaide Central Market is located in the heart of the CBD and are closed on Mondays and Sundays.

Plan your trip to the Barossa Valley Wineries & the Adelaide Hills

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Would you like to visit the Barossa Valley? Which food or wine activity would you like to do most? Share with us in the comments below!

There’s a tranquil richness to the landscape here: green rolling hills, the earthy vibrancy of the changing seasons, flourishing vines, Eucalypt forest, steep hillsides and shaded valleys.

There are so many ways in this region to immerse yourself in nature. It provides the perfect backdrop for outdoor pursuits, to tap into your inner creative Zen, or enjoy a picturesque afternoon of wine tasting.

It had me at the first gum tree.

We visited the Barossa Valley as guests of Jacob’s Creek, as part of their #MadeBy campaign so we could gain an insight into the region and people and all that goes into making a bottle of wine.

Now when I sip on a glass of my favourite Jacob’s Creek Adelaide Hills Chardonnay or Double Barrel Shiraz, I’m instantly transported back to a place of astonishing beauty, where people grow things, make things and talk to each other.

Below are twelve fantastic ways you can experience the natural beauty of this region.

1. Mt Lofty Summit Hike, Adelaide Hills

We totally underestimated the steepness of this 3.9 kilometre hike up to the 710 metre high Mt Lofty Summit.

I huffed and puffed with burning chest thinking how happy Hunter, my boot camp instructor, would be that I wasn’t just skipping class to indulge in wine and food for four days in the Barossa Valley.

Craig and I love hiking and taking on the Mt Lofty hike showed us just how different hiking with kids is. The past 18 months on our road trip around Australia deconditioned our hiking bodies.

Despite this, we loved the Mt Lofty walk and highly recommend it.

We started at Waterfall Gully, which embraced us with a burst of golden oranges and reds of Autumn. You just don’t experience the essence of Autumn in the region north of Sydney where we grew up. It’s mostly just an evergreen kinda life.

After playing in the leaves for a bit around the waterfall, we started our hike up which stayed in that direction for the majority of the walk.

But the air was crisp and fresh, and the only sound was the quiet music of a few bird calls. A distinctive smell followed us, which I realised later was the odour of a sleeping koala. They’re frequently spotted in the Adelaide Hills, but not by us this time.

At the end of the walk your reward are gorgeous 180-degree views of Adelaide and the coastal plain from the summit (that is if the weather is kind!).

Stay tuned for our upcoming post on food and wine experiences in the Barossa to learn more about the Mt Lofty Summit Cafe. We recommend finishing your hike here with views out to Adelaide with a lovely meal or at least a coffee.

2. Take a Drive in the Barossa

The Barossa Valley is beautiful. Just go for a drive and soak it all in.

We did it in thrilling style on the back of a bright yellow trike with Barossa Unique Tours. There’s nothing like the wind blowing back your hair as you zip along winding country roads and besides the most beautiful gum trees and green covered hills you’ve ever seen.

Our driver, Johnny was passionate about the area and had so many interesting stories and facts about the region to share. We got a great sense from him that the Barossa is made by the people – a sweetness and love you can taste in each bottle of wine the Barossa produces.

If only you weren’t so cold in winter, Barossa, I could picture myself zipping around this valley on the back of a trike as a local.

Make sure you drive to the Barossa Valley via the Adelaide Hills, where you get the glorious autumn colours of the deciduous trees. Of course, that’s if you come in Autumn – it will be beautiful no matter when you arrive.

On your drive be sure to go past the lone tree on Centenary Hill, which is a site of historical significance to the Jacob Creek’s winery and is what their Centenary Hill Shiraz is named after. In 1947, a single Moreton Bay fig tree was planted by Fred Gramp to commemorate 100 years since the winery founder, Johann Gramp, planted his first vines on the banks of Jacob’s Creek.

And you must finish your drive at the Steingarten Vineyard for sunset (see point #9 down below)

Half day trike tours with Barossa Unique Tours start at $145

3. Cleland Wildlife Park

So we’ve done a few wildlife parks on our trip around Australia. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all right? Not necessarily.

This was the first time we’ve ever hand fed Potoroos! I was in squealing heaven when we walked in, and they came skittering out from the bushes to greet us. I leant down to feed them, unsure of what would happen, and they cautiously sniffed themselves over, held my hand and began to pick the pellets off to eat. It was sooooo cute!

There were plenty of kangaroos around: big reds playing and love making, and western greys and black-footed wallabies who also held my hands as they ate.

And there’s a koala section where you can watch them sleeping in trees, and doing the slow koala play (which is just eating) – they are still so adorable. You even have the chance to cuddle koalas at Cleland.

You could easily combine Cleland Wildlife Park with your walk up to the Mt Lofty summit. Look for the side trail 3/4 the way up that leads to it.

Admission: $22 for adult, $11 for a child, $50 for a family

4. Love the Gum Trees

I fell in love with the trees in the Barossa Valley, and I just had to include them as a thing to experience in this post. They are freaking gorgeous.

I’ve never seen gum trees look so huge and healthy and alive with stories and history.

I’m a tree hugger, and I spent most of my time in the Barossa hatching plans to sneak another cuddle in. I’m not sure why the gum trees in the Barossa are so magnificent. They’re 300-400 years old so maybe the ones up north were all chopped down with urbanisation.

My favourite was the giant gum out the front of the Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre. It was dying, but they dug a huge hole around it and lowered the earth so it had more room to breathe, and it’s recovering.

The Avenue of Cork trees was also a fascinating thing to see in the driveway into the Jacob’s Estate. I did not know that corks came from trees. I feel stupid saying that but did you?

Growing these cork trees is a particular process that takes decades before you can even get a decent cork crop from them. These were planted by Colin Gramp in 1971, who had the foresight that planting a row of these trees would be very useful in the future for corking bottles for their wine.

They’re still about nine years off growing their first decent batch. Of course, it wasn’t in his crystal ball to know that bottles would switch over to screw caps in the future (well, in Australia anyway).

We also learned that the need to taste a bottle of wine in a restaurant is not necessary if it’s a screw cap as this was only done because faulty corks can sometimes spoil the wine (a small percentage).

5. Helicopter Tour Over Barossa Valley

There’s nothing like seeing the villages and patchwork vineyards of the Barossa Valley from above, especially when looking as green as Ireland.

You can see it from above either in a hot air balloon or by helicopter. WE LOVE helicopters so chose this option with Barossa Helicopters.

The morning was still and clear and our pilot said it was some of the best conditions she’d ever seen it in. We flew several times in a loop along the course of Jacob’s Creek, over our cottage, the Heritage Vineyard where we ate dinner the previous evening, and then up the hill top over the Steingarten Vineyard, which divides the Barossa and Eden Valley.

Our host, Phil, pointed out different parts of the Valley, including the palm tree-lined Seppeltsfield Road, which looked so out of place, yet striking. The flight gave us an insight into the stories that lay behind its settlement to now being one of Australia’s best wine regions.

Cost: A 20 minute helicopter flight with Barossa Helicopters cost $155. Located  261 Hoffnungsthal Road LYNDOCH SA 5351

6. Port Willunga Caves

In our upcoming food post we’ll tell you about the fabulous Star of Greece Restaurant, perched on the hilltops of Port Willunga, just a 45 kilometre drive from Adelaide.

While there, enjoy the views and take a walk down to the beach. You’ll find a series of hidden caves. These caves were cut into the cliff walls by fishermen to help protect their boats and nets.

If you love photography, you’ll love the photos you can take down here of the cliffs and caves looking in and out. Port Willunga used to be a grain port, the only sign of that now is a few jetty pylons, which adds a beautiful foreground element.

Sunsets here are meant to be magnificent. We had an overcast day so did not get the full splendour of the water colour, but it was beautiful even in its greyness.

7. Observational Drawing Workshop with Jacob Logos

Moving on from my love of the trees is the painting experience we had with artist, Jacob Logos. Neither Craig nor I would consider ourselves artistic, but we were surprised at what you can produce when you let your creative spark take over from the brain.

Jacob says the number one issue he has with drawing the artist out of people is the brain interfering too much with trying to get it right.

Jacob is the artist in residence at Jacob’s Creek. You can see his art work hanging in the Visitors Centre and he offers different art programs and experiences through the centre.

Jacob had us drawing the branch of a banksia tree using the technique of observational drawing (no looking at the paper) and continuous lines.

We were surprised with how good our pieces turned out and we’re thinking of framing them to put on our walls. It’s rustic, natural and a pure expression.

Jacob then took us outside on the grounds to one of his favourite places, in front of the gorgeous trees. A massive chalkboard was set up for us to continue our continuous line drawing to depict the trees.

We then turned over to view the vineyard and hills behind us.

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to do this workshop. It’s not something I’d normally choose to do, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and letting my inner artist speak. In true South Australia fashion, Jacob was incredibly nice, friendly and insightful.

8. Sunrise at Mt Lofty House, Adelaide Hills

It might have been chilly, but the romantic mist it added to the sunrise over the Adelaide Hills made it worth climbing out from under the warm doona early in the morning to photograph it.

You can continue to enjoy the show over breakfast from within Mt Lofty House with its panoramic views over the hills from its restaurant windows.

The Adelaide Hills are beautiful and staying in this boutique hotel reminded me of our stay in the Blue Mountains. We’ll be sharing more about Mt Lofty House in an upcoming post on romance and relaxation in the Barossa!

9. Sunset at Steingarten Vineyard

The Steingarten Vineyard is a Barossa Valley best-kept secret and I’m now listing it as an iconic thing to do.

It’s at the top of the hill and is the only place on the hills that has a wine garden. The conditions up here are harsh and when you poke your head over the viewing platform you’ll see vines packed closely together on a steep hill face shielded from the harshest midday heat.

Gramp was told the rocky conditions (instead of soil) made growing Riesling impossible. A bit of determination and dynamite saw him planting the first vines in 1962 and quietening all the naysayers.

Premium award-winning Riesling now grows up here. It’s dry, zesty flavours were a hit with me!

There’s public road access up here and is the place to come for sunset with spectacular views over the valley. Bring a bottle of Steingarten Riesling, perhaps some oysters and a picnic and enjoy the show.

10. KaiserStuhl Conservation Park

If you’re feeling a bit full and heavy after all the wine tasting and gourmet food experiences, then head to the KaiserStuhl Conservation park to walk it off.

There are various trails within the park through a variety of landscapes including creeks, rocky outcrops, areas of low forest, scrub and open grassland.

If more time allowed, I would have liked to have done the The Wallowa Hike to see the views across the ranges to the Barossa Valley, but with the short time the 2km Stringybark loop trail was relaxing and enjoyable.

My crystal gazing soul could not keep my eyes off all the quartz lying around. There are plenty of kangaroos jumping about into the wild and deer can also be sometimes seen in here.

KaiserStuhl Conservation Park is located 12km south east of Tanunda in the Barossa Valley.

11. Mengler Hill Lookout

On the way back (or to) KaiserStuhl be sure to stop off at Mengler Hill Lookout. We stopped here on our trike tour and the views out to the valley are just gorgeous.

There is a sculpture garden here you can wander through as well. It’s another perfect place for a picnic and a glass of wine at sunset.

Johnny pointed out many different aspects of the region and again told us stories of the Barossa and why he loves it.

“It’s the community here. It’s just so strong. I’ve lived all around Australia and the world and I settled her 18 years ago and am not moving. I love it here. We have everything we need. Great food and wine and events and look at these views. It’s just beautiful”

You’re almost convincing me Johnny to join you!

12. Walk around Jacob’s Creek

The Jacob’s Creek property is stunning. Take some time to walk around it from the Visitor’s Centre. Walk amongst the vines and down along Jacob’s Creek and to the historic cottage that belonged to William Jacob’s and his family.

Spending time with the Jacob’s Creek family showed me how so much thought goes into what they create and how much passion, commitment and belief has to go into something knowing you won’t see the results for decades.

I saw that with the cork trees, the Double Barrel Shiraz, and the Centenary Hill tree.

And now Jacob’s Creek. 20 years ago, they started a project to restore the creek and remove introduced plants that had, over the years, crowded out native plants, damaged the habitat and food resources for our native animals.

The creek is now thriving and many of the native animals are returning to the creek. Oh happy days. That got a fist pump hell yeah from me!

Plan your trip to the Barossa Valley and the Adelaide Hills

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Would you like to visit the Barossa Valley? Which activity would you like to do most? Share with us in the comments below!

Adelaide in South Australia is his slice of heaven – the Sydney of his youth he says as he reminisces of a time when he could walk everywhere, traffic was not unbearable, streets were wide and filled with people quietly moving about their day in the sunshine.

This freedom to move and breathe also offers you choice – a beach to walk to, an oval to kick a ball around on, history to soak up, and a sporting match to watch somewhere.

He flies in from Sydney every year to watch the Australian cricket test match. He’s a member of the Adelaide Oval – he reckons it’s the best in Australia. (He plays for the over 70’s Australian team so he’s bit of an expert!)

Well you know what my thoughts were on it – If Dad says it’s good, it must be really boring and daggy.

I arrived in Adelaide last year, for a brief one night stay, curious to see if this small city was boring and slow more suited to oldies, or did it have something a bit more modern and hip that could cater to my interests?

My Dad must be a bit of a hipster in his old age because he was right!

Adelaide has charm, sophistication, history, elegant beauty and a fresh, gentle, fun way of living that doesn’t zap your energy like the big buzzing cities of Sydney and Melbourne do.

It’s a destination that will surprise and inspire.

I left with Adelaide sitting at the top of our list for a much longer stay when we arrive on our road trip at the end of this year. I’m penciling in a couple of weeks to explore more deeply.

Here are eight reasons you should forget Sydney and Melbourne for your next getaway and head to Adelaide.

1. It’s a beautiful, breathable city.

It may not have the stunning wow factor of Sydney, but Adelaide has a softer gentle beauty with the surrounding hills to the east, beautiful beaches to the west, luxuriously wide boulevards, many parks and gardens, enormous skies and wide-open spaces.

Unlike Sydney and Melbourne, Adelaide offers you space to breathe.

Everything you need is only 20 minutes away and with a population of only 1 million, you can swing and spin with arms wide open while appreciating all it has to offer.

2. The food capital of Australia

One hour spent exploring the 143-year-old Adelaide Central Market convinced me Adelaide was the food capital of Australia.

It has over 80 stalls, cafes and restaurants all showcasing local produce. You can watch cheese being made, feast on chocolate, enjoy coffee from an Italian family with a 55 year history in the markets, or buy from green grocers who’ve been operating for more than 35 years. There is even a food tour you can do of the markets.

In the city, highly awarded fine dining restaurants exist alongside pop up bars and food trucks. There’s over 100 pubs in the city and plenty of hip bars and watering holes in arcades and hidden laneways.

I am currently in Adelaide, speaking at the Tasting Australia festival, and gorging myself on more great food. I highly recommend Pure Boutique Coffee in Glenelg, Cafe Zuma for breakfast at the Central Markets, and Ky Chow in Chinatown.

3. The Wine capital of Australia

There’s nothing I like more during the winter than to sit around a cosy fire on a vineyard with a superb glass of Australian Shiraz.

There are wineries all around Australia and near to the capital cities, but in Adelaide, there are several within an hour’s drive.

You’ll find some of Australia’s most recognized brands such as Penfolds, Yalumba, Wolf Blass and Jacob’s Creek. It’s the place where some of the best wine in the country is made. With a nation full of superb wine growers, this is a statement that must be tested.

You’re spoilt for choice: Barossa Valley, Mclaren Vale, Clare Valley and the Adelaide Hills (your boutique stuff). There is no other capital city in Australia that offers you such easy access to many different wine regions.

How can you not love a city where Australia’s best food and wine meet?

Read more about things to do in the Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills here, here, and here.

4. There’s a greater Adelaide

If you move just a short distance in any direction from the CBD, you’ll discover a diversity of regions to satisfy any person’s interests: Wine regions, beautiful beaches, historical towns, unusual villages in the hills, abundant wildlife and stunning landscapes.

Most of Adelaide’s beaches are within a 30-minute drive and with the warm climate can be appreciated almost all year round. Glenelg, the main tourist beach is only 12km from town. I visited last week and the resident seal waved to me while swimming 5 metres from shore!

5. You can explore the city by bike

Adelaide is an easy city to explore by bike: it’s flat, with beautiful biking trials through gorgeous parklands, and well-marked and safe bicycle lanes on the city streets.

I enjoyed a lovely bike ride along the Torrens River and through the parklands of East Adelaide. There are plenty of sightseeing places along the way, I preferred losing myself in the stunning Botanical Gardens. The bike path does a loop around the city or you can even cycle out to the beaches.

The best news is that the city of Adelaide hires bikes out for FREE!

6. Festivals and Events in Adelaide

Another reason Adelaide is high on our bucket list is the wide variety of festivals and events on offer. You get the party and fun without the maddening crowds.

Now’s the season for the sports mad to experience the thrill of a live AFL game. Mad March is when you throw your party boots on as it’s the hot festival time. The most known festivals in Adelaide are the Fringe Festival, WOMADelaide, Tour Down Under, and Tasting Australia.

But Adelaide also has many smaller, just as fun, festivals and events such as Splash Adelaide, which focuses on bringing the city’s streets and spaces to life with pop-up street parties and restaurants, performances, night markets, and mobile food vendors.

7. Eclectic lifestyle

It might have a lot of history, being Australia’s first free settlement, but Adelaide is overbrimming with multiculturalism which is reflected in their suburbs, food experiences and festivals.

German influence is strong in the Barossa Valley and the Adelaide Hills – a must visit suburb is Hahndorf. The Irish founded the Clare Valley and Italians, Greeks and Asians have a strong influence in the region’s food.

8. It has Kangaroo Island

My heart bursts every time I think of Kangaroo Island. I’ve not been yet, but I already love it. (I’m trusting Mum and Dad’s recommendation for this one.)

Update: We have now been! Here is our post on things to do on Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island is Australia’s answer to the Galapagos Island and is only two hours from Adelaide. It’s a remote and undiscovered destination that has stunning beauty, unique and abundant wildlife, awesome sunsets, 4WD drive adventures and no crowds. I’m booking myself in for a month.

Adelaide is pretty Rad!

Now your toughest decision is what do you explore first? (I’m getting back out into the Adelaide streets for more food and wine tasting!)

As Lonely Planet said when it named it in their Top 10 must visit cities for 2014,

“A gateway to some of Australia’s most accessible wine country, Adelaide is effortlessly chic – and like a perfectly cellared red, it’s ready to be uncorked and sampled,”

Time to uncork it!

Plan Your Trip in Adelaide

We’ve been traveling consistently for 17 years and have come to rely on a few trusted websites that save us money and time when booking accommodation, flights and car rental. Below are our preferred partners:

Accommodation

• Booking.com has 700,000+ hotels, apartments and hostels worldwide. You get free cancellation on most rooms and a best price guarantee.
• Airbnb has plenty of vacation rentals in Adelaide. Click here to see availability.

Flights

• Skyscanner is a comparison website that searches millions of flights. Once you find your best deal, book directly through the airline (no extra fees).
• Scott’s Cheap Flights offers amazing deals on flights to Australia. See more here.

Car Rental

• RentalCars.com is the world’s biggest car rental booking service that compares all the major brands like Hertz, Avis, Alamo, and Europcar.

What are your tips for Adelaide? Share in the comments.

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But I saw the wide streets and thought of my Dad.

“It’s just like Sydney 50 years ago. The streets are so wide, there’s no traffic and such a slow and enjoyable way of living.”

My Dad comes to Adelaide in South Australia every year to watch the test cricket match. “The best cricket oval in the world” so he reckons.

Mum is usually not far behind him. They’d live here if they could. I try to tell them to forget about their children and grandkids and follow their hearts and just move to Adelaide before it gets swallowed up like Sydney.

They grew up in Surry Hills, back when it wasn’t cool to live there. But to them it was. The old Sydney.

Already I was falling in love and I hadn’t done anything yet.

And then we pulled up at the Crowne Plaza hotel. The friendliest door man in the world came to greet us. I no longer felt tired from the flight. I was bouncing with energy and as a result found myself in the bar for an evening wine, free WiFi and the best hand cut hot chips I had ever eaten.

I seriously do love Crowne Plaza Hotels (check out our review on the Melbourne, Hunter Valley and Terrigal hotels – their buffet breakfast is THE BOMB!)

Adelaide Central Market

South Australia is known to be a foodie’s paradise with plenty of fresh local produce and good wine. A visit to the 140 year old Adelaide Central Market in the centre of the business district was the perfect way for us to experience the culinary delights of the region.

The market is the largest fresh produce market in the Southern Hemisphere, with over 80 specialist stalls and the most visited tourist destination in South Australia with over 1.3 million visitors per month.

Wowee! The Adelaide Central Market are the best markets I have been to in Australia.

We were greeted by Mark Gleeson who runs the Adelaide Central Market food tours. He has been involved in the food industry for 30 years and saw an opening 10 years ago to merge that with tourism. He is passionate about sharing the journey of produce from farmer to plate and highlighting the effort of the businesses that are involved in that production.

We started at his own store Providore, a place guaranteed to skyrocket your taste buds and expand your waistline to ginormic proportions. The first sign we were in trouble came with the shops centrepiece: a towering chocolate fountain. There’s only one thing you can do with that, stick in a bucket of strawberries and munch em down. Creamy, delicious and not too sweet!

There were plenty of things to sweeten your taste buds: cakes and pastries, chocolates and biscuits and variations on old Australian favourites – lovingtons, berry and choc-chip Pavlova rolls, and wagon wheels – what the cool kids had packed in their lunch boxes when I was at school.

I was delighted to see a huge variety of gluten free cakes and slices, something that is rare to find in Australia.

We lingered a little too long at Providore and Mark had to drag us to the Lucina Italiana, the café opposite. It started with a post-war Italian immigrant family.

The café still serves aficionados 55 years later and has seen three generations of family manage it. This Adelaide institution has now branched out into a pizza restaurant and grocery store.

While I was buying some Lucina  olive oil, the smell of cooking mushrooms pulled me over to the huge pot next to the serving counter.

“Those mushrooms smell divine. What are you making?” I asked the server stirring it.

“Mushroom soup. We cook it here and then package it and sell it over there.” He pointed to the line of pre-packaged soup in the fridge. “If someone walks past and wants some as I am pureeing it up, then sure I’ll sell them some right here to.”

I wanted some right there. But, we had farmers to visit.

Mario is one of the only growers left in the market. He brings his produce 30 minutes every day from his farm to the markets. You can tell by the size and quirkiness of the fruit that this is real home grown goodness.

The apples are tiny, the zucchini extra-large, the avocados robust, and the quince bumpy. He has been selling fruit and veg here for over 35 years. He cut up some persimmon and nectarine for us, it was deliciously sweet.

Time was running out so we were whisked over to Say Cheese, “The sexiest cheese store in Australia.” Mark was adamant that your search for the best cheese in Australia ended here.

We had to put this to the test. Lulu came on out from behind the counter and before us turned some curd into mozzarella. The Say Cheese does cheese making demonstrations from Thursday to Saturday.

It was fascinating watching it transform from blobs to dense stringy cheese and then balls. She sliced the finished balls for each of us to try. It was still warm and dripping with water. The combination of salt and milky creaminess melted into a taste orgasm.

It totally got the Say Cheese sexiness.

We visited the market on Wednesday, volunteer day. This is the one day of the week the vendors do not have to be open. Thankfully a large selection of vendors still do. It was probably the best day for us to visit as Mark said on every other day you can’t move in the markets. It is elbow pushing room only.

I  highly recommend this tour. I loved the personal nature of meeting the vendors, trying their foods and learning more of their stories.

Lenzerheide Restaurant, Hawthorn

Because spending a morning sampling amazing local fare is not enough, we then moved to one of Adelaide’s most famous restaurants for lunch, Lenzerheide, in the historic neighbourhood of Hawthorn.

The building dates back to 1891 when it was originally a doctor’s residence and surgery. Mark Gaston and his partner brought the 5 acre property in 1989 and have been operating the fine dining restaurant since. Mark is now seeing generations of families return to his restaurant again and again.

It’s easy to see why. The food was delicious, the setting stunning, and the company great.

I was happy to hear much of the produce came from the markets we just visited. Mark even suggested for our challenge we could possibly go to the nearby fields and pick our own mushrooms for cooking.

Our lunch companions, local journalists shared stories with us as to how produce grows abundantly in the Adelaide neighbourhoods: hedges of rosemary, overladen lemon trees, and wild olive trees.

What I loved about the restaurant was their high tea. We sampled a few different teas, my favourite being the Jasmine Dragon Eyes, a slow unfurling white tea with subtle and fresh jasmine tones.

The selection of cakes and pastries were too die for.

It was only a short day stay, but I loved Adelaide.

I am super keen to return and explore more of the historical neighbourhoods and beautiful architecture and sample the amazing food.

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